Switched
by Boogum
Summary: Shinichi turned his head so fast that he almost gave himself a crick in the neck. Conan sat not far from him, holding a shining gem up to the moonlight. Except that kid wasn't Conan. It was Kid with a capital K, otherwise known as Kaitou 1412, the jewel-stealing phantom thief. Oh, hell. He was so screwed. [BODY SWAP]
1. The Switch

I'm sure this idea has been done a million times before, but what the heck. I love a good body-switching fic.

Note: This story is set after the events of the Jet-Black Mystery Train arc. I rarely go into detail about canon, but spoilers still might crop up for those who haven't watched all of the episodes. Consider yourself warned.

* * *

 **The Switch**

It was official. The gods hated Kudo Shinichi. That was the only explanation for why bizarre, bodily-changing things kept happening to him. Either that, or there was a deity out there who had a very twisted sense of humour.

Now being shrunk to the size of a seven-year-old was something Shinichi had taken in his stride. Yes, there were days when he wanted to bash his head against a wall, scream at the injustice of the universe, or just storm into the Black Organisation's headquarters, Rambo style, and end the madness. However, Shinichi was a level-headed guy when all was said and done. As such, he had put his acting skills to the test, thrown himself into his new life as Edogawa Conan, and quietly bided his time until he had the upper-hand and could strike back. Unfortunately, no amount of level-headedness had prepared him for this latest complication.

"What the hell?" Shinichi muttered, staring at his hands.

Long, slender fingers flexed under his command. Not good. These hands definitely did not belong to a seven-year-old. They didn't belong to him either, for that matter, because he knew for a fact that he had not been wearing white gloves when he had left the detective agency earlier that evening. In fact, the only person he knew who wore gloves like this was …

Shinichi's heart suddenly tried to lodge itself into his throat. He sat up off the ground and stared down at his body. White cape. Blue shirt. Red tie. Oh, hell.

"You've got to be kidding me," Shinichi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb.

"I see you're finally awake."

Shinichi turned his head so fast that he almost gave himself a crick in the neck. Conan sat not far from him, holding a shining gem up to the moonlight. Except that kid wasn't Conan. It was Kid with a capital K, otherwise known as Kaitou 1412, the jewel-stealing Phantom Thief.

Shinichi swore under his breath.

"Agreed," Kid responded with his usual calm, pocketing the jewel. "That was my sentiment exactly when I realised I was stuck in your scrawny body."

"You seem pretty relaxed."

Kid's teeth gleamed in an unnerving smile. "The only thing a magician needs more than his bag of tricks is a good poker face." He leaned forward, glasses glinting in the moonlight. "Besides, I was hoping you'd have an idea for how we can reverse our little problem. You are supposed to be some kind of genius detective, after all."

Shinichi frowned. Good point. Maybe there were some clues left as to why they had ended up this way. He stood up so that he could better observe their surroundings. And almost fell flat on his face. Right. He was taller now.

Kid raised an eyebrow. "Smooth."

A faint blush warmed Shinichi's cheeks. "Shut up."

Thankfully, Kid decided not to taunt him further. Perhaps the enigmatic thief really did believe that Shinichi could get them out of this mess. Shinichi wished he could say the same. In truth, he was still reeling with shock. Somehow, for whatever reason, he had switched bodies with Kaitou Kid. It was too weird. Getting poisoned and being forced to shrink to the size of a seven-year-old was one thing; switching bodies with another person entirely was on a whole new playing field of bizarre. Shinichi didn't have a clue where to begin.

"Do you remember anything from before we switched?" Shinichi asked.

Kid shook his head. "I remember stealing the jewel and coming to the roof. I guess I passed out after that, because then I woke up like this—" he gestured at his miniaturised body "—and saw you unconscious next to me."

Shinichi frowned and walked up and down the exposed platform, searching for clues. From what he could see, the rooftop just looked like an ordinary rooftop. He scanned every inch of the damn thing, but there were no marks or odd items left behind to suggest that anything out of the ordinary had happened, let alone that anyone aside from the two of them had been there.

"Well?" Kid prompted. "Any ideas?"

Shinichi pressed his hand against his chin in the classic Thinker Pose. "Quiet, I'm thinking."

Kid sighed and folded his arms behind his head. "Well, think faster. The police will have realised they've been chasing a dummy by now. They'll be back soon to do the final sweep of the building. No doubt your girlfriend will be looking for you as well."

"She's not my girlfriend," Shinichi said absently.

Kid raised both of his eyebrows. "Really? That's a surprise. I never pegged you two to be the friends with benefits type."

Shinichi's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kid seemed to realise his error, as he quickly raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender. "Nothing, nothing. Please continue your investigation, oh great detective."

Shinichi just frowned at the other boy. Something was very suspicious about that statement. Why would Kid think that he and Ran had _that_ kind of relationship? Just thinking about it made Shinichi blush. Sure, he'd confessed that he liked her in London, albeit in a roundabout way, but it wasn't as if they'd ever kissed. The most he'd got were some unexpected hugs and hand-holding when Ran was feeling particularly emotional. Hardly the stuff of a physical, no-strings-attached friendship.

"Whatever," Shinichi muttered, dismissing the matter.

He had more important things to worry about. Like how he and Kid were going to get back to their respective bodies. Still frowning, he walked slowly around the rooftop, examining the railings and the door that led to the stairwell, along with pretty much every other nook and cranny. Then he just sighed.

"No luck?" Kid asked.

Shinichi shook his head. "Not that I can see."

What would be more helpful was if he could remember anything from before he passed out. An unfamiliar face, maybe some kind of drug that might have been used—anything at all. But, like Kid, there was just a big blank. The most Shinichi could remember was that he and Ran had got caught up in the heist, he'd followed Kid to the rooftop after the jewel had been stolen, and then nothing. He'd opened his eyes and realised that he was no longer a pint-sized detective. Instead, he was an internationally wanted criminal. Life was perfect like that.

Kid stood gracefully to his feet and came to stand beside Shinichi. "Looks like our time's up," he observed.

Shinichi followed the other boy's gaze to the street below and saw the police swarming back into the building, led by an irate Inspector Nakamori. It occurred to Shinichi that he had no idea what he and Kid were supposed to do now that it was obvious there was no quick fix to their problem. It wasn't like he could go back to the detective agency in Kid's body, and it wasn't like Kid could go back to wherever his secret thief lair was in Conan's tiny body either—not with Ran doing her usual Conan man-hunt routine. They were officially screwed.

Kid stepped back from the railing. "So, detective," he said, turning to face the taller boy. "I'm guessing you're thinking the same thoughts that I am."

"Right," Shinichi agreed. "We need to figure out a plan."

Perhaps that was the only good thing about switching bodies with the Phantom Thief. Both of them had secret identities they needed to protect. Plus, Kid already knew that Conan was actually Kudo Shinichi trapped in shrunken form. That saved a lot of time and drama. Shinichi didn't even want to think what would have happened had he switched with someone like Ran or Sonoko. Just the thought was terrifying.

Still, in contrast, Shinichi was aware that he didn't know that much about the thief. The most he had been able to piece together was that he and the other boy were about the same age, looked similar in appearance, and that Kid had at least one accomplice who helped him set up heists. There was no way that Shinichi would be able to pretend to be Kid in a convincing manner. Not when he didn't even know the boy's real name.

That was when Shinichi realised that Kid was grinning up at him in a decidedly unnerving way.

Shinichi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you pl—"

Too late. Kid's hands moved at lightning speed, pulling the cape up and around the Shinichi, and then spinning him like a tornado of white fabric. The moment the spinning stopped, the white cape, top hat and monocle were gone. Even the trademark pants, shirt and tie had been replaced with simple dark clothing. Shinichi had no idea how Kid had managed the transformation in such a short amount of time (aside from having ninja fingers), let alone without Shinichi noticing that he was being undressed and changed into different clothes (cause, frankly, that was kind of creepy). Regardless, the caped magician had vanished into thin air and in his place was—

"Shinichi?"

Ran's voice startled him from his thoughts. He turned to see her standing at the stairwell entrance, staring at him as if he were some apparition who had come down from the sky. Kid just grinned smugly.

"Oh, Ran-neechan, I didn't see you there," Kid said in Conan's childish voice. "Kaitou Kid managed to get away, but Shinichi-niichan helped me get the jewel back. See?" He pulled the gem out of his pocket and let it shine violet in the moonlight.

"That's great," Ran said, though she didn't even glance at the gem. She was still staring at Shinichi as if she was afraid he was going to disappear any moment.

Shinichi closed his mouth. Was it possible that Kid had disguised him as Shinichi Kudo, his actual teenage self? The little child wearing the glasses just threw him a pointed look, as if to demand why Shinichi was standing there like a stuffed owl and making him do all the work. Right. Neither of them could afford to let Ran get suspicious.

"Hey, Ran," Shinichi said with an awkward wave. "It's been a while."

Kid flashed him an encouraging smile. Alright, so far so good. It seemed that he really had been disguised as the seventeen-year-old version of Shinichi. Which felt way weirder than it should. Normally, when he was in this form, Shinichi was stuck worrying about when the antidote was going to wear off and transform him back into Conan. Except Conan was right there, currently inhabited by Kid.

Ah, this was too messed up.

Ran blinked out of her daze. "I thought you were out of town," she said with a frown. "Isn't that what you said on the phone last night?"

 _Damn! That was true._

"I just got back, actually," Shinichi lied. "I was on my way home when I heard that a Kid heist was going on." He shrugged. "Conan has mentioned before that they're different from usual robberies, so I decided to check it out."

Kid nodded his head in agreement. Ran just stared at Shinichi intently, eyeing him from head to foot as if trying to find some hidden flaw in his appearance. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed.

"It really is you, right?" she asked.

Shinichi rubbed the base of his neck. "Uh, yeah. Who else would it be?"

She pursed her lips. "Kaitou Kid, maybe?"

Kid gave an involuntary twitch. Even Shinichi was startled into a snort of laughter. She was right yet so wrong at the same time.

"I'm not Kid," he said bluntly. "Ask me anything you like and I'll prove it."

"Fine." She folded her arms across her chest. "What was the song we heard that made us end that big fight we had back when we were at middle school?"

"Amazing Grace," Shinichi answered without hesitation. "I remember it because we'd barely spoken for a week because of that stupid argument we had about clairvoyance, but then we heard that woman singing and somehow we just forgave each other." He smiled. "I also played that song for you on the violin not so long ago, though you weren't supposed to know it was me."

Ran blushed and let her arms drop back into a more relaxed pose. "Alright, I was just checking. That thief has an annoying habit of disguising himself as you."

Under her breath, she muttered something about blimps and perverted phantom thieves. Shinichi turned his head to glare at Kid, who just plastered an innocent smile on his face. It was the same expression Conan used when he wanted people to think he was a harmless kid instead of a dangerously perceptive detective. Shinichi's hands curled into fists. Oh, that little brat was so in for it.

Kid must have sensed the impending danger, because he wandered over to Ran and tugged on the hem of her shirt. "Ran-neechan," he said, looking up at her with big blue eyes, "can we go home now? It's getting pretty late."

Shinichi's heart rate spiked. Wait a minute, they still hadn't figured out what they were going to do to fix their switched body problem. Besides, Shinichi wasn't sure that he liked the idea of leaving Kid to stay with Ran as Conan. Not after hearing Ran call him that "perverted phantom thief".

"Hold on, brat," Shinichi said, plucking the small boy off the ground by his collar. "You're coming with me."

Ran blinked. "But—"

Shinichi flashed her a boyish grin. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of him."

Kid heaved a big sigh, legs still dangling in the air. "Oniisan is mean."

Ran's eyes widened. She planted one hand on her hip and rounded on the taller boy, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Shinichi," she said in a voice that promised doom to all who hurt bespectacled children. "Just what have you been doing to Conan?"

"Absolutely nothing," Shinichi muttered, and glowered at the tiny thief. "Isn't that right, Conan?"

Kid just grinned. Shinichi could almost hear the thief's smooth, mocking voice in his ear:

" _Feeling a little frustrated, detective?"_

No doubt this was payback for all the times Conan had ruined Kid's carefully laid plans with his "Ah-le-le" exclamations and other childish behaviour. Shinichi resisted the urge to toss the boy off the roof. Fortunately, Kid had no intention of dragging out the charade. Instead, he wriggled out of Shinichi's hold and landed on the ground with the grace of a cat.

"It's okay, Ran-neechan," Kid said, smiling brightly up at the girl. "I already agreed to stay with Shinichi-niichan tonight. I just like teasing him."

 _Wasn't that the truth._

Shinichi cast an exasperated glance at the other boy, but then he froze. It had just occurred to him that Okiya Subaru was currently living at his house. Was it even possible to take Kid there, let alone stay there himself, while they were in their current predicament? Subaru didn't miss much, and that meant the risk of discovery would be high. Of course, they could always stay with the professor and Haibara, but Shinichi wasn't sure if Kid would approve since they'd have no choice but to explain what had happened. Plus, Ai would tease him mercilessly.

Damn, this was annoying.

"On second thought," Shinichi said, rubbing the base of his neck, "how about we all stay at your place tonight, Ran?"

"Eh?" Ran said. Her cheeks blossomed with pink. "You want to stay over?"

Shinichi felt his own cheeks warm. "Uh, if that's okay with you. I just remembered that I rented my house to that Subaru guy. Kind of feels awkward going back without giving him some kind of warning." He glanced down at the small boy beside him. "Sorry, Conan. I know you wanted to stay over, but we'll still be able to talk this way."

Kid stared at him sharply. There was a slight pause, and then he flashed his bright, child's smile. "If that's what Shinichi-niichan thinks is best."

Shinichi just nodded. It was safer to keep the truth about their body switch between the two of them for now. Secrets tended to get unravelled and revealed when too many people were involved. Just look at his own situation. It had started with the professor and now he couldn't count the number of people who knew the truth about Edogawa Conan on one hand. Besides, with any luck, he and Kid might wake up the next morning and find that the problem had reversed itself. Or, at least, that was what Shinichi hoped.

In the mean time, he just had to wait for his chance to talk to Kid in private. There was a certain incident that had occurred on a hijacked blimp that needed some serious investigating. Shinichi would not rest until he knew the truth.


	2. Of Plans and Interrogations

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* * *

 **Of Plans and Interrogations**

It was a less than warm welcome that awaited Shinichi upon the trio's arrival back at the Mouri household. Ran, of course, was all smiles. Her mood had steadily increased the longer Shinichi had stuck around without showing any signs of bolting. She was not the issue. No, the problem was the slightly inebriated detective sprawled on the sofa, who was watching re-runs of a Yoko Okino drama with all his usual exuberance until he realised who was standing in his house.

Kogoro took one look at the messy-haired teen and then his eyebrows snapped together and a scowl twisted his lips. "What's that detective brat doing here?" he demanded.

Ran planted her hands on her hips. "Geez, Dad, what kind of greeting is that? You haven't seen Shinichi in months and that's all you can say to him?"

Shinichi rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. Kid just watched the scene with a little smile playing on his lips. Of course that damned thief would find the situation amusing. Meanwhile, Kogoro was still glowering at Shinichi, unmoved by Ran's scolding. The message in those narrowed blue eyes was clear:

" _You've been upsetting my daughter for way too long, you little punk. She might forgive you because she's besotted, but don't think that I'll do the same. I've got my eye on you."_

Shinichi swallowed. Hell might have no fury like a woman scorned, but a protective father was looking to be a close runner for the "People You Should Not Piss Off" award. It didn't matter if Kogoro sometimes behaved like the star clown in a slapstick comedy or that he was currently wearing a headband bearing the legend Yoko Okino and clutching home-made "Go-Go Yoko" flags in his hands; Kogoro was still a father who loved his daughter very much. Shinichi didn't doubt that the man could make his life miserable should he feel so inclined.

Shinichi repressed a sigh. This was not going to be fun.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Kogoro-san," he said, bowing his head in acknowledgement of the other's status as head of the household. Normally Shinichi didn't bother with formalities when it came to the Mouri family, but he had deduced pretty quickly that he would need to be ingratiating if he wanted to survive the night. "I know this is late notice."

Kogoro pursed his lips. "What's he mean by intrusion?" he asked Ran in obvious suspicion. Shinichi's polite tone seemed to have mollified him a little, but that didn't mean Kogoro was ready to throw in the towel just yet.

"Shinichi is staying the night," Ran said, removing her jacket _. I dare you to say otherwise_ , the challenging sparkle in her eyes added.

Father and daughter glowered at each other for a moment. Then Kogoro let out an exasperated sigh and put his Go-Go Yoko flags down on the coffee table. "Filling my house with a bunch of freeloaders," he muttered, shooting a narrowed glance at Kid, who he thought was Conan. "Fine. Do what you want, but that detective boy you're so fond of will be sleeping in the room with me."

Both Shinichi and Ran blushed.

"Dad!" Ran said in a long-suffering voice. Being embarrassed by Kogoro was nothing new for her, but Shinichi knew from his own experience with his mother that didn't mean it got easier. "Just who do you think we are? Of course I'm not going to let Shinichi sleep in my room!"

Kogoro waggled his finger at her. "You're not children anymore. A parent can't be too careful."

Ran's blush darkened. " _Dad_!"

There was a definite whine to her voice that time. Shinichi would have found it amusing if he wasn't feeling so awkward himself. It had been so long since he'd got to experience normal teenage moments like this with the Mouris that he'd almost forgotten how much Kogoro distrusted him around Ran. Not to mention that Shinichi could recall very vividly the few times he had shared a bed with his childhood friend while stuck as Conan. His hormones told him that it would be a very different experience if he were in his own body. Not that he was in his own body. Gah. Whatever.

Kogoro rubbed his chin in thought. "Three of us in the one room might be a bit much, though." His gaze flickered to Kid, whose grin had widened throughout the conversation until he resembled the Cheshire cat more than a harmless seven-year-old. "Right. The freeloader brat can sleep in your room, Ran."

Kid's grin froze. Clearly, he had not expected to be more than a spectator to the Mouri vs Kudo show.

Ran leaned down so that she was at eye-level with Kid. "How about it, Conan-kun?" Her lips curved into a warm smile. "You can share the bed with me."

Kid's eyes widened. He backed up a few steps and laughed nervously. "Ah, Ran-neechan—"

"He can't."

Three pairs of eyes fixed on Shinichi. The teen blinked. Right. He hadn't meant to blurt that out. Mostly, he'd just been thinking that there was no way he was going to let that perverted little thief share a bed with Ran.

"Uh, I mean," Shinichi said, fishing around in his brain for a decent explanation, "it just wouldn't be very proper."

Ran laughed and wrapped her arms around Kid. "What's with you, Shinichi? Conan-kun is seven. It's no different than if he were my little brother."

"I doubt that's what he's thinking," Shinichi muttered.

Kid smiled childishly up at his "neechan". The expression had GUILTY in bold capitals written all over it. If there weren't a truckload of perverted thoughts going on inside that pint-sized head, Shinichi was not a detective.

"If you don't mind sharing, Ran-neechan," Kid began in an innocent voice, "then—"

Shinichi yanked Kid away from Ran and gripped him by his skinny shoulders. "Ah, don't worry about it, Ran. We'll just share the futon on Kogoro-san's floor." His eyes narrowed as he glanced down at the smaller boy. "Isn't that right, Conan-kun?"

Kid's eyes glinted mischievously. "But there isn't much space in Uncle Kogoro's room."

"I'll make sure there is enough," Shinichi growled.

There was a pause as Ran stared at him in surprise, perhaps wondering why Shinichi, her normally calm friend, was being so aggressive towards Conan. Shinichi realised his mistake all too late (Kid had a knack for bringing out the jealous guard dog in him). He quickly ruffled Kid's hair and pulled the boy into a brotherly, one-armed hug.

"I mean, of course there'll be room for the two of us," Shinichi said, forcing a laugh. "Mum wouldn't be happy if I didn't look after the little guy."

"Oh, right," Ran said, smiling at the two boys. "I almost forgot that Conan-kun is your relative."

Kid just scowled and fixed up his hair.

"Well, if you've got that sorted, go take your chatter somewhere else," Kogoro said bluntly. He was back to facing the television, Go-Go Yoko flag in hand and a can of beer in the other. "You're ruining the best part." Suddenly, he started waving his flag around, his cheeks rosy with admiration … or alcohol. "Yoko-chan! Yoko-chan!"

The three exchanged wry smiles as Kogoro chanted support for his precious Yoko-chan. No matter how many bizarre events happened, it seemed that Mouri Kogoro would never change. It was an oddly comforting realisation.

 **oOo**

Shinichi flicked on the light to the detective agency and gestured for Kid to follow him inside. Upstairs, Kogoro was still busy watching the Yoko Okino drama, while Ran had excused herself to go take a bath. It was the first chance the two boys had got to talk privately since Ran had found them on the roof after the heist, and Shinichi wasn't about to waste the opportunity. There was a lot they needed to discuss.

Kid sat down on the seat where Kogoro usually entertained his clients, looking utterly relaxed. The lazy grace with which he carried himself reminded Shinichi of a cat: all purrs and hidden claws. No trace of Conan could be seen in that round, childish face; this was the Kid who taunted policeman and stole jewels from impenetrable security systems, all the while charming his audience with his wit and magic. Of course, whether this unruffled persona was just another mask that the thief wore was something Shinichi could not deduce. Not yet, anyway.

"That was clever of you to disguise me as my teenage self," Shinichi said, taking a seat next to the other boy.

Kid waved his hand airily. "Much as I admire your tenacity as a detective, you don't have what it takes to be Kaitou Kid. I thought I'd spare you the failure." His teeth gleamed in a smile. "Can't have you ruining my reputation now, can I?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome." Some of the amusement faded from Kid's expression. "We do need to figure out a way to fix this mess, though. I can't keep pretending to be the little tantei-kun forever."

"Right," Shinichi agreed.

Being stuck in a seven-year-old's body wasn't something that Shinichi wished on anyone. Besides, it wasn't like Kid spent all of his time stealing jewels. No doubt the other boy had his own friends and family out there somewhere. Maybe they were even waiting for him to return home at this moment.

Shinichi frowned at the child wearing the over-large glasses. "Won't people get worried when you don't return tonight? I mean, I know you've got that assistant who helps you sometimes with heists, and surely there must be others."

Kid smiled. "Your concern is touching, detective, but quite unnecessary. Just focus on solving the mystery of why we switched bodies and I will be content. There's no need for you to trouble yourself with Kaitou Kid's business or any acquaintances he might have."

Shinichi's frown deepened. It seemed that Kid was determined to keep his personal life a secret. That was all well and good—Shinichi could appreciate why a wanted criminal would be reluctant to share his private information with someone who had tried to have him captured more than once—but the fact remained that right now they were in a sticky situation. A certain level of trust had to exist if this temporary alliance was going to work.

Kid poked Shinichi in the ribs. "Stop frowning like that. I already told you not to worry."

"Actually, I was just wondering if I can really trust you," Shinichi admitted. "You have a reputation for acting in your own interests. Who's to say you won't turn tail and leave me in a lurch should your own identity be put at risk?"

"I'm hurt," Kid said with feigned sadness, but he became serious a second later. "Look, you really don't need to worry. I'll pretend to be Edogawa Conan for as long as it's needed until we can reverse this situation. You just need to accept that any information relating to Kaitou Kid outside of his role as a phantom thief is on a need-to-know basis." A gleam of teeth. "Right now, detective, you don't need to know."

Shinichi leaned forward, holding the other boy's gaze. "You do realise that I could just remove this disguise and see who you really are, right? Once I know your face, it wouldn't take me that long to figure out your true identity."

Kid shrugged. "You could do that, of course, but I think you'll find it won't be that simple."

"What do you mean?"

"See for yourself," Kid said with a hint of amusement.

Shinichi's eyes narrowed a fraction. Carefully, he ran his hands over his borrowed face, trying to feel for any trace of an applied disguise. There was nothing. Not even a residue of make-up. The face could have been his own.

"What is this?" Shinichi demanded.

Kid's eyes danced with mischief. It was obvious that he was trying not to laugh. "Sorry, detective, but a magician never shares his tricks. You'll just have to accept that the disguise is staying and my identity will remain a secret from your prying little mind."

Shinichi folded his arms across his chest. "Fine, you win." _For now._ "We have more important things to worry about anyway."

"That's more like it," Kid said with a grin. "So, what's the plan? Knowing you, you've already got some ideas for where to begin."

Shinichi laughed without humour. "You seem to have a lot of faith in my abilities."

"Call it a result of having you foil my plans so many times," Kid said wryly. "I don't like to think of myself as predictable, you know. Not that I don't appreciate the challenge you present at my heists. Inspector Nakamori, bless his soul, still falls for the dummy trick every time."

Shinichi just sighed. "If this were a magic trick, then figuring out how to expose the truth would be simple. Magic tricks are all illusion and deflection; there are logical laws that need to be followed—you know that better than anyone." He stared down at his hands, flexing the long fingers that were not his own. "This switch we're experiencing doesn't feel like that, though. It's almost like—"

"Real magic," Kid said softly.

Shinichi nodded. "I've never believed in anything that can't be proven with solid fact, but I have to admit that this is the only explanation that fits. My shrunken body can be explained away with science, but switching bodies entirely with another person? That's the kind of thing that only exists in fiction."

Kid said nothing. He just rested his chin on his hand and stared at a random spot on the table, clearly deep in thought.

Shinichi let out another sigh and stood up. "Well, it was Holmes who said that once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. If we follow that logic, then what we're experiencing could indeed be the result of real magic." He glanced back at Kid, and a tiny smirk curled his lips. "Either way, there can only be one truth. I'll figure out a way to solve this mystery somehow."

Kid's mouth twitched into an answering grin. "Glad to hear it. You had me worried there with that defeatist, doom and gloom act you had going on."

Shinichi shook his head. "I've never given up on a case. I don't plan on starting now. Besides, with any luck, we might wake up tomorrow and find that all of our problems are solved."

"Oh?"

"Sure," Shinichi said with a shrug. "Having a time limit for how long the change lasts is a pretty standard trope in body-switching fiction."

"Except this isn't fiction," Kid pointed out.

Shinichi folded his arms across his chest. "I said 'with any luck', didn't I? It's not like I'm banking all of my hopes on some magical fix."

"Good, 'cause then I really would be worried that I had overestimated your abilities."

"Yeah, yeah." Shinichi brushed off the taunt with a wave of his hand. "Anyway, we can go back to the roof of that museum tomorrow and examine the scene. Maybe we'll be able to find a clue that I missed. It'll be easier to see smaller details in the light of day."

"Alright," Kid agreed. "In the meantime, I'll get—" he paused, mouth twisting into a smile "—my _assistant_ , as you called him, to look up the lore of body-switching for us. If there is some kind of magical link there, he will find it."

"You don't mind?" Shinichi asked curiously. He had been under the impression that Kid had not wanted to share their situation with anyone.

Kid stretched out on the seat, linking his hands behind his head. "I don't need to tell him that I've switched bodies with you. Gramps is used to my odd requests. Plus, he's familiar with magical lore. It'll be faster this way."

Shinichi just nodded. He would have liked to have got Ai and the professor to do the same, except with a scientific focus, but both of them would demand to know why Shinichi was asking for such a strange thing. Even if Shinichi could make up a plausible lie to fool the professor, Haibara Ai was another story. Approaching those two would have to be a last resort.

"Well, I guess that's all we can do for now," Shinichi said, leaning back against Kogoro's desk. His gaze narrowed on the thief. "There is something that's still bothering me, though."

"Hmm?"

"Ran mentioned something about a blimp earlier."

Kid gave an involuntary twitch. The motion would have been imperceptible had Shinichi not been watching the other boy so closely.

"She also called you some interesting names," Shinichi continued in a voice that was too pleasant to be natural, given the topic. "Care to explain?"

To his surprise, Kid just flashed him a cheeky grin. "You mean she didn't tell you?"

A crease formed on Shinichi's brow. "I remember she mentioned that you tried to do something to her that I would never do, but she didn't explain what."

Kid's grin widened. "That so?" He looked Shinichi up and down. "Well, you do seem more of the restrained type."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shinichi demanded, folding his arms across his chest.

Kid spread his hands in an appeasing gesture. "Just making an observation. You should be happy. Ran-chan's faith in your prudishness is likely the only reason my trick didn't work."

Shinichi felt his cheeks warm, though he wasn't sure if his rising blood was from embarrassment or frustration. "What. Did. You. Do?" he gritted out between clenched teeth.

Kid waggled his finger in a condescending manner. "Tut, tut, detective. A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

There was a long pause while Shinichi digested the full meaning of those words. The next second, Kid was springing out of his chair with lightning-speed and scrambling up one of the higher cabinets, placing himself out of a fuming Shinichi's reach.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Kid said in a voice that trembled with repressed laughter. "I swear nothing actually happened."

"Like I'd believe you!" Shinichi retorted, clenching his hands into fists and glaring up at the thief.

"It's true," Kid said a bit more soberly this time. "Ran-Chan had it in her head that Kaitou Kid and Kudo Shinichi are the same person, so—"

"Oh, and I'm sure you had nothing to do with that deduction at all," Shinichi cut in sarcastically.

Kid flashed his cheeky smile. "I _might_ have," he allowed, "but that's only because she figured out who I was and planned to hand me over to Inspector Nakamori. Getting arrested on that blimp was not in my best interest, so I may or may not have used her feelings for you against her in order to maintain my cover."

Shinichi's scowl tightened. "That sounds like you."

"Hey, a phantom thief does what a phantom thief has to do. You know what they say: all is fair in thievery and war."

"The saying is 'love and war', and stop deflecting," Shinichi snapped. "I know you did something to Ran."

Kid's mouth twitched. "If I tell you, will you promise not to attack me? This body isn't as durable as my normal one, you know. I don't think it would survive being hit by one of your hellish soccer balls."

Shinichi's eyes narrowed. "So you _did_ do something."

"Maybe," Kid said slyly. "Like I said, Ran-chan thought we were the same person. She tried to convince me, who she thought was Kudo Shinichi disguised as Kaitou Kid, to give up my life of thievery." He scratched his cheek. "Her behaviour that night is actually part of the reason I thought the two of you had started dating; I wasn't expecting her to throw herself at me like that."

Shinichi frowned. "She threw herself at you?"

"Well, let's say she embraced me very tightly," Kid elaborated with an upturn of his lips. "Anyway, I couldn't resist having a little fun with the situation, so I may or may not have, uh, made a move on your pretty friend."

Shinichi gritted his teeth. "Don't tell me you kissed her."

"Almost," Kid admitted, ducking his head in case he became a target for sudden projectiles. "She stopped me at the last second."

"Because she thought it was something I wouldn't do?" Shinichi said, a bit bewildered.

He wasn't sure what he thought about that revelation. Did Ran really think that he would never try to kiss her?

Kid cautiously raised his head. "Uh, no. Fact is I might have—" his voice trailed off into a mumble.

"What?" Shinichi stepped closer to the shelf. "I didn't hear that last part."

"I said that I, uh, might have touched her butt."

There was another long pause. This time Kid sprang off the top of the shelf, just avoiding being hit by a flying book. He laughed merrily and ducked behind the sofa.

"You little pervert!" Shinichi exclaimed, advancing on the smaller boy.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Kid gasped in between chuckles, and then peeped over the top of the chair. "I just couldn't resist when I knew how much it would bother you."

Shinichi let out a low growl. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Nope." Kid danced away from Shinichi's reach, flashing him a Cheshire grin as he jumped onto Kogoro's desk. "But can you really blame me for trying?"

The only response he got was a lot of strangled oaths and a few well-aimed projectiles. Kid's acrobatic skill and agility managed to spare him from actually getting hit, but that did nothing to assuage Shinichi's anger. In fact, it was Ran herself who ended up putting an end to the fight.

"What on earth?" Ran said, blinking in shock at the two boys.

Her surprise was understandable. Shinichi had finally managed to get hold of the smaller boy and now had him trapped in a one-armed headlock. Meanwhile, Kid was calling for a truce, his legs flailing in the air as he tried to wriggle free. Both froze when they noticed Ran standing in the doorway. A second later, the two boys were standing next to each other and smiling at her as if nothing had happened.

"Yo, Ran," Shinichi said with a careless salute. "What's up?"

Ran blinked again and stared from one grinning face to the next. "Um, the bath is free."

"Thanks for letting us know," Kid said, readjusting his glasses so that they sat more securely on his nose. "Though I'm sure Uncle Kogoro would prefer to go first."

"He already had one earlier," Ran said a bit absently. She was still frowning at them in obvious suspicion, as if waiting for one of them to sprout an extra limb and reveal they weren't human. "Is everything okay between you two? You've been acting a bit … strange."

Kid forced a laugh. "Of course. Shinichi-niichan and I were just catching up."

"That's right," Shinichi said, looping his arm around the smaller boy. "Just a friendly chat between family."

Ran pursed her lips. "You had Conan-kun in a headlock."

"Well, you know how it goes," Shinichi said airily. "Talking about old times, putting each other in headlocks; it's what guys do."

Kid nodded emphatically.

Ran didn't seem convinced, but since neither of them was willing to budge on the matter, she had no choice but to accept their explanation. As such, all she could do was leave them with a reminder that the bath was free if either of them wanted one, then closed the door behind her with one final suspicious glance at the two boys.

Shinichi let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "That was close."

"You're the one who put me in a headlock," Kid said grumpily.

"Can you blame me?"

Kid laughed. "Touché."

Shinichi folded his arms across his chest. "I still can't believe you tried to kiss Ran and touched her butt." A frown. "Actually, no, I can believe it. What surprises me is that Ran didn't kill you when she realised the truth."

"Isn't it obvious? She succumbed to my irresistible charm."

Shinichi let out a derisive snort. "I highly doubt that."

Kid just smiled and jumped up to sit on the edge of Kogoro's desk so that he was perched next to Shinichi. "For what it's worth, I honestly didn't believe she would let me get that far." He leaned back on his palms, swinging his feet to and fro just like the little kid he resembled. "Perhaps she wanted to believe in the illusion."

Shinichi frowned down at his hands. Yes, that made more sense. A magic trick only worked if the audience wanted to be fooled.

"Well," Kid said after a beat, nudging Shinichi in the ribs with his elbow. "At least you know now you could make a move on her if you wanted."

Shinichi raised his head. "Kid."

"Mm?"

"Shut up."

Kid laughed lightly. "As you wish, meitantei."


	3. An Eventful Morning

I've mentioned as much to a few of you in review replies, but I'm aiming to update this story once a week. I can't promise I'll be consistent with that, since my schedule can get pretty hectic at times, but that is the goal. I'll also make it clear now that I will be sticking to canon pairings for this story, though the main focus will be Shinichi and Kid's friendship. What can I say? They're my new BroTP. I'm simply sharing the love. ;)

* * *

 **An Eventful Morning**

Shinichi woke up the next morning to the sound of clattering of pots and raised voices. Ran and Kogoro were arguing again. He sighed and rolled over in the futon, only to freeze when he almost head-butted the small child who lay fast asleep next to him. That's right. He and Kid had switched bodies. Well, damn. There went his hopes of waking up to find the whole bizarre situation had been a dream. Unfortunately, the fact that he had woken up next to "Conan" also meant that the "Sleep it Off" theory was out. For now, it seemed like they really were stuck.

"But this guy sure is something," Shinichi muttered, frowning at the boy who now inhabited Edogawa Conan's body.

Kid lay on his back as if he owned the blankets, limbs sprawled everywhere with no regard to the fact that he was sharing the bed with another male (all in the name of protecting Ran's virtue, of course). Shinichi now understood why he had woken up on the very edge of the futon (one of Kid's tiny feet was still digging into his leg), but he struggled to comprehend how the other boy could look so relaxed. After all, Kid was essentially sleeping in enemy territory. By rights, he should be displaying some kind of nervous tension in his body language: a closed-off foetal position, or at least some kind of reserve or defensiveness. Yet there was nothing—not even in his expression. Watching Kid the Phantom Thief sleep was like looking at a very content, slumbering baby. There was even a bit of drool trailing from Kid's mouth, which was hanging wide open as he inhaled and exhaled.

Either Kid was just plain stupid (which Shinichi doubted, given the quick-witted trickiness that the thief displayed during his heists) or he really did have nerves of steel. It was an alarming thought. Did nothing shake that carefree composure?

Shinichi's frown deepened. He sat up and poked the boy in the ribs. "Oi."

Kid didn't budge. A few more pokes only achieved in making Kid shift a little and bring his arms up to his chest, as if a subconscious part of him were trying to escape the prodding. His breathing remained deep and steady.

"Geez, this guy sleeps like the dead," Shinichi observed, not sure whether to be exasperated or amused.

Kaitou Kid was certainly living up to his reputation of being a nocturnal thief. Even Sleeping Kogoro showed more animation.

Shinichi stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. Well, he supposed he could let Kid sleep in a bit longer. It wasn't like the museum would be open yet, and it sounded like Ran was still preparing breakfast. There was no rush.

Pushing the blankets off him, Shinichi got to his feet and crossed to the small chest of drawers where the Mouris allowed "Conan" to store his belongings. Most of the drawers were taken up with tiny clothes that would only fit a first grader, but Shinichi had created a hidden drawer to store some of his teenage attire, just in case of an emergency. This certainly counted as one of those moments. All Shinichi had to wear were the plain, dark clothes that Kid had changed him into the previous night (which, as he had discovered later, had been cleverly concealing the Kaitou Kid costume in various hidden seams and pockets, along with a horde of gadgets). He'd rather not wear that walking magician trap again. Plus, black wasn't really his style.

Shinichi pulled on some casual attire more to his taste, noticing as he did that the clothes were a perfect fit. A few creases formed on his brow. Now that was interesting.

He moved to stand in front of the mirror that hung on the door to Kogoro's wardrobe, examining himself from head to toe. Sleeping on a pillow the whole night had ruined the trademark cowlick and gravity-defying tuft that Kid had styled for him, making the brown locks framing his face a little wilder and messy. Still, the resemblance between the disguise and his real appearance as Kudo Shinichi was uncanny. Too uncanny. A quick examination of his new body had also revealed no tricks or implements, which could only mean one thing. He and Kid were the same height and, from what he could tell, even had the same build.

"Could such a coincidence even be possible?" Shinichi murmured, leaning closer to the mirror so he could examine his features better.

He noticed that their eyes were the same colour blue, since he knew for a fact that he was not wearing contact lenses. Maybe the shape of the eyes was a bit different (he thought that his own were a little less rounded, and his eyelashes were not as long), but the likeness was close enough. The only thing that Shinichi was really unsure about was the hair. Right now the thick, messy locks were the same shade of brown as his own, but he'd also seen Kid with black hair before, so he was unsure if the colour was natural. Either way, something fishy was going on with this disguise. It was just _too_ good.

"Shinichi, Conan-kun! Breakfast is ready!"

Ran's voice snapped him from his thoughts. He sighed and stepped back from the mirror, deciding that he could figure out the mystery behind his freakish similarities with Kid later. For now, he had to rouse the thief before Ran decided to take matters into her own hands. Shinichi knew from experience that she would never let "Conan" miss a meal just because he wanted to catch up on sleep. Even worse was when Kogoro decided to get involved.

Shinichi nudged Kid none too gently with his foot. "Oi, wake up."

The boy made a sleepy sound and rolled the other way. "Go'way, Aoko," he slurred, pulling the blankets up over his head. "S'not morning yet."

Shinichi's brow creased. "Aoko?"

That did it. Kid bolted up as if zapped, throwing the blankets off him, and then stared around the room through bleary eyes. Shinichi could almost see the cogs turning in that pint-sized head as certain facts clicked into place and the boy realised he was in someone else's home, sitting in someone else's bed. Finally, Kid spotted Shinichi. In an instant, a smile was fixed in place and any trace of sleepy confusion had disappeared. The poker face was back.

"Morning," Kid greeted, stretching out his limbs. "I see that magical fix you were hoping for didn't happen."

Shinichi made a noncommittal grunt. "Get up," he said instead. "Ran's prepared breakfast."

For once, Kid did as he was told. It would have been unnerving to see the thief so docile, but Shinichi had a suspicion that Kid just wasn't much of a morning person. The boy's movements were oddly sluggish, as if putting on clothes took monumental effort. He also kept smothering yawns. Despite all of Kid's smiles and suave comments, it was obvious that he was still half-asleep.

Shinichi repressed a snort. Kaitou Kid: defeated by sunlight.

"Now what are you smiling about, I wonder?" Kid asked, slipping on the fake glasses to complete his disguise as Edogawa Conan.

"Nothing." Shinichi moved towards the door. "Let's go."

Kid cleared his throat and then pointed at Shinichi's head. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

Kid sighed and yanked on Shinichi's shirt, pulling the taller boy down to his level. Deft, little fingers were suddenly working their way through Shinichi's hair, smoothing and shaping with expert precision. It seemed like barely a second passed before Kid stepped back.

"There," Kid said, examining his handiwork with a satisfied nod. "Now you look the part."

Shinichi glanced back at his reflection in the mirror. Sure enough, the cowlick and gravity-defying tuft were back.

"Don't forget next time," Kid warned. "The smallest of discrepancies will ruin even the closest of disguises, and Ran-chan has a knack for noticing those details when it comes to you."

Shinichi just frowned as he watched the little boy leave the room. "The closest of disguises, huh?" he murmured.

There was a clue in those words. A big one, if his suspicions were correct. After all, it was rather odd that Kid had only bothered to fix his hair, as if there really was nothing else to check. No mask, no makeup, no special implements. A perfect disguise indeed.

A faint smile curved Shinichi's mouth—the same that graced his lips whenever he figured out the trick behind a murder. He leisurely made his way to the kitchen and joined the others at the table. His expression didn't betray a hint of the fact that he'd just had an epiphany. Indeed, to an outsider, he would have appeared as an easy-going lad who was content to chat to his childhood friend and even make polite small talk with her father. If someone had cared to look inside the young detective's mind, however, they would have been surprised by the true nature of his thoughts, which were bordering on the side of villainous. Indeed, if he had been anyone else, there would have been much evil cackling.

As it was, Shinichi did not cackle—internally or otherwise. Instead, he allowed his gaze to drift to the small boy seated opposite him, who still looked a bit heavy-eyed with sleep as he used chopsticks to shovel food into his mouth. Oh yes, Shinichi and Kid were definitely going to have a little chat once they were alone again. Shinichi might not know why they had switched bodies, but he thought he just might have solved the mystery of how Kaitou Kid had been transformed into Kudo Shinichi with nothing more than a change of clothes and a new hairstyle.

This was going to be _interesting_.

 **oOo**

Shinichi sighed and glanced at his watch. It was taking longer than expected to get Kid alone so the two of them could go visit the museum (as well as discuss Shinichi's latest deduction). The problem was Ran. She didn't seem to want to let Shinichi out of her sight. Her attention was flattering (and he could admit that there was a part of him that was relishing in being near her like this without the threat of shrinking into a chibi version of himself), but it was also becoming an inconvenience. A big, frustrating inconvenience.

He loved Ran. He really did. But sometimes she had a knack for putting a spoke in the wheel of his investigations.

Right now the two of them were walking along the river path back towards the agency. He knew that Kid was somewhere nearby; the phone vibrating against his leg with cheeky little text messages that betrayed a hint—just a _hint_ —of exasperation told him that much. Kid was still waiting for Shinichi to give Ran the slip, after all, so that they could go meet up at the museum. That had been the plan. And Shinichi really was trying, damn it, but he was also running out of excuses. When he said he needed to stop at his house to pick up some things, she had quickly offered—and insisted—to come with him. He'd been forced to back-peddle out of that one (because he couldn't risk going home while he looked like this with Haibara and the professor next door), but all of his other excuses had hit the same wall. Ran was not leaving his side if she could help it, and she could make mules look like charming, accommodating animals when it came to stubbornness.

Shinichi resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. How was he ever going to get out of this mess? He didn't want to hurt Ran by ditching her outright, but he couldn't keep dilly dallying around with her either. The more time passed, the more likely it was that any evidence left behind at the museum would become corrupted.

"Say, Shinichi."

He snapped out of his brooding to glance at the girl walking beside him. He noticed that there was a faint splotch of colour on her cheeks. She was also pointedly not meeting his gaze. His detective instincts pinged in warning. Something was about to happen.

"Did you really mean what you said back in London?"

Oh, shoot. There was no doubt she was referring to the impulsive speech he'd made in front of the Big Ben. He'd almost hoped that she'd forgotten about that confession. He'd meant every word, of course, but actually expressing his feelings for her aloud had not been his intention. Not when he still spent most of his time trapped in a first grader's body. Damn impulses. Damn Ran and her crying. The girl really was his biggest weakness.

"Uhh." Shinichi rubbed the base of his neck, conscious of the blood rushing to his cheeks. "Well, um—"

What had he said again? Even if he was Sherlock Holmes, how could he be expected to accurately deduce the heart of the girl in whom he liked? Or something to that effect. Either way, the underlying message had been clear: he had feelings for her. And she had not said a word in response.

But now she was speaking. Now her hand brushed his palm, fingers intertwining. Her big blue eyes met his, solemn yet hopeful.

"Did you mean it?" she asked.

His heart thudded against his ribs. This was such bad timing. Such bad, bad timing, but she was looking at him so earnestly, and he just couldn't bear to hurt her again, and—

"Yeah." He swallowed, straightening his back as he came to a decision. "Yeah, I did."

Ran let out a small breath. She stepped closer to him, still holding his hand. "Then I have an answer for you."

He blinked as she moved even closer, leaning up on her tiptoes. His detective instincts were pinging for quite different reasons now. She was very, very close. Their noses were almost touching, and he could feel her breath fanning his face like the caress of butterfly wings. Deductions were rapidly made in his mind, and the single truth revealed had his pulse racing and his heart beating like some pagan drum.

Ran was going to kiss him. Ran was going to _kiss him._ Her mouth on his. Kissing.

Panic and longing and sheer joy rocketed around inside him for a split-second. He instinctively closed his eyes, and—

The intro to an upbeat Two-Mix song burst into loud, obnoxious glory. Ran and Shinichi both started in surprise, colliding foreheads and bumping noses, and it was all so very awkward. Shinichi pulled back from her with a wince, now rubbing his head where a bump was already forming. Her cheeks were rosy, and he knew by the heat that he could feel burning on his cheeks that he was blushing just as badly. The Two-Mix song was coming from her back pocket.

"Um," Ran said, biting her lower lip. Her lip which had _almost_ touched his. "That's my phone."

Shinichi shoved his hands in his pockets, not quite meeting her gaze. "You should probably answer it then."

Because he sure as hell didn't know what to say now that they had been interrupted. He felt tongue-tied and like he was a middle-schooler again just discovering the opposite sex and all the confusing muddle of feelings a girl could inspire in him. He definitely didn't feel like a great detective who had taken down countless criminals without so much as batting an eyelid.

Ran gave him an apologetic look and then pulled her phone out from her pocket. She flipped the case open and held the device to her ear, greeting the person on the other line with a standard "moshi moshi". He could feel her shooting him side-long glances, and—

"Sonoko!"

Ran's exclamation had him flinching again. Geez, he was as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof. He glanced at the phone, where he could hear the faint sound of excited babbling. Ran tried to interrupt a few times, but Sonoko seemed to be in top form. There was no talking over the brunette once she got into her flow. Shinichi knew from experience.

"Um, Sonoko," Ran tried again, "this isn't really a good ti—"

More excited babbling.

"Okay, okay," Ran said, chewing on her lip and shooting another side-long glance at Shinichi. "I understand. Okay. I'll be there soon." She hung up with a sigh.

"Problem?" Shinichi asked.

"Sonoko is having an emergency." Ran placed her palm against her forehead. "Apparently, Makoto left her a cryptic message."

Shinichi had got stuck shopping and eating dessert with the girls enough times to understand why this fact was considered an emergency. The brunette often came across as shallow and boy-crazy, but she had genuine feelings for her long-distance boyfriend and was incredibly loyal to him. And it was utterly painful that Shinichi knew this fact so intimately. Damn it, he really needed to find a way to escape those girly day outs with Ran and Sonoko.

"I'm really sorry, Shinichi," Ran said, putting her phone back in her pocket. "She won't stop calling me unless I go to her and calm her down."

Shinichi just shrugged. At any other time, he would have protested at the fact that she was ditching him for Sonoko, but the logical part of his brain was finally beginning to reassert itself. It told him not to waste this opportunity, because hadn't he spent the whole morning wondering how he was supposed to give Ran the slip?

"Don't worry about it," he said, and he was so proud of himself for not blushing or sounding like a bumbling fool. Cool guy aura reasserted! All was well in the world! "I'll see you at ho—your place later."

Damn, he'd almost slipped up and called the agency "home" (which was what it felt like these days, considering he'd been living there for almost a year). Fortunately, Ran didn't notice his mistake. Instead, her eyes brightened and an achingly shy smile—the kind that made his stomach do a whole circus act of swoops and soars—spread across her face.

"You mean you're going to stay again tonight?" she asked.

He rubbed the base of his neck. "Uh, I don't know."

With any luck, he might be back in his own body by that time (and why did returning to Edogawa Conan seem so unappealing now?), but Ran didn't need to know that. So Shinichi just told her that she had better go meet up with Sonoko before the brunette started hounding them both.

"Besides," he added, "I have some things I need to do. It's been a while since I was last in Tokyo, and everything is kind of a mess." A wry smile. "My parents aren't exactly the most responsible people in the world, and Professor Agasa is by no means the most organised. I'm just lucky Conan-kun found Subaru-san to rent my house while I've been away."

Which was true. He still remembered the panic he'd felt when the Detective Boys had declared the Kudo house a haunted mansion that needed to be investigated. Shinichi had been forced to use all of his ingenuity to persuade the first graders otherwise, along with some scripted words said by Professor Agasa. Shinichi never wanted to go through that ordeal again. He was very, very grateful for Subaru, even if it was taking a risk to have the older man live there with so much evidence lying around (however hidden) that Shinichi and Conan were the same person.

Ran, of course, was oblivious to these thoughts. She just nodded in understanding. "I'll see you later then."

Before he could respond, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Then she was blushing and mumbling a goodbye before hurrying down the street. Shinichi just stood there with his mouth hanging open, one hand on his cheek where he could still feel the warm imprint of her lips.

Her lips. Warm. Kiss.

"Well, isn't this a sight to behold," a familiar voice observed. "The great detective has been struck speechless."

Shinichi closed his mouth and glanced down to see Kid standing next to him. The little boy had one hand shoved in his pocket while the other clutched a mobile phone. There was a hint of a smile lurking in his eyes.

"You're welcome, by the way," Kid said, slipping his phone into his pocket.

Shinichi frowned, detective senses tingling. He stared at the pocket where Kid's phone now rested, then shifted his gaze back to that round, childish face.

"That was you who called Ran, wasn't it?" Shinichi said flatly.

"Bingo!" Kid's mouth curved into a smile. "Well, I'm glad to see your deduction skills are still functioning, even though your other cognitive abilities seem to have experienced a temporary failure."

The creases deepened on Shinichi's brow. "Excuse me?"

"Did you forget that you're in _my_ body? I'm not about to let you go around kissing girls and—"

Shinichi choked on his own phlegm. He coughed and had to thump his chest so he could breathe again. "Y-you saw that?"

"I see everything," Kid said, as if it was a simple matter of fact.

And that was just damn creepy coming from the mouth of a child.

Shinichi tried his best to gather up the pieces of his dignity, conscious that he was blushing again. "It's not like I intended that to happen." He made an awkward motion with his hands. "Ran was just suddenly there."

"Oh, I know," Kid agreed in an amiable voice. "After all, you were supposed to be _getting rid_ of Ran-chan so that we could meet at the museum and you could put that detective nose of yours to use." He sighed and waved his hand in an airy gesture, somehow managing to sound both sympathetic and antagonising. "Look, I get it. You're probably feeling very repressed and sexually frustrated from being stuck in this shrimp-sized body all the time—"

Shinichi choked on more phlegm.

"—but do try to restrain yourself while you're in _my_ body," Kid finished, meeting his gaze. "We don't need any further complications because you decided to get frisky with Ran-chan."

Shinichi just opened and closed his mouth a few times. Frisky? What—what the hell?

"Okay, enough!" Shinichi said firmly, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "I don't even want to know what ideas you've got going on in that perverted little head of yours. Suffice it to say that I won't do anything with Ran that Conan wouldn't do."

Kid flashed a wicked grin. "Good, because I'll be watching you _very_ closely from now on to make sure you stay well away from any kind of bases. There will be no home-runs for you, detective-san."

Shinichi just sighed and shook his head. "Let's just go to the museum."

And though he would never admit it, he spent the whole walk to the building trying _not_ to imagine what a "home-run" with Ran might be like. Stupid, perverted phantom thieves putting stupid, perverted thoughts in his head. It was all Shinichi could do to not let certain male parts of his anatomy react. Or to get a nosebleed.

Payback was definitely in order. Very, very much so. Shinichi had suffered more than enough torment from the thief. Fortunately, he knew the perfect ammunition to use. There was a certain epiphany he'd had that morning that was just _begging_ to be discussed. Kid was bound to lose some of that damnable flippancy when it was his identity on the line.

As it was, it wasn't until they were back on the roof of the museum and Shinichi had calmed down enough to stop seeing visions of Ran nakedly entwined with him that the detective brought up the deduction he'd made earlier that morning. Shinichi glanced up from where he had been kneeling to search for clues and stared at Kid. The thief was scanning their surroundings with bright eyes, idly rolling a coin over his knuckles and making it disappear at odd intervals. It was the first time Shinichi had seen Kid perform what could only be described as absent-minded magic, more reflex than premeditated. It also suggested that Kid's guard was down.

Shinichi repressed a smile. "By the way," he said conversationally, as if they had been speaking the whole time, "how long did you really think you could keep the truth of your supposed "disguise" from me?"

The coin stopped moving. Kid closed his fist around the silver yen piece, making it disappear entirely. He turned to face Shinichi.

"Oh?" He widened his eyes, emphasising the childish innocence of his appearance. "Are you saying you figured out my trick?"

"I'm saying there is no trick," Shinichi said bluntly. "It's like Holmes said: once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. You used no mask, no make-up, no special gadgets or implements. All you did was put some different clothes on me and change my hairstyle."

Kid didn't so much as blink. He just bowed and clapped his hands in mock applause. "Well done, detective. I'd say I'm impressed, but I honestly didn't expect you to take this long to figure out my ruse."

Shinichi's mouth twisted into a frown. This wasn't the reaction he'd expected. Somehow, he'd thought that Kid would be more bothered by the fact that his true face had been outed. Instead, all Kid displayed was a mask of calm amusement, as if he didn't care at all that Shinichi now knew they were almost identical in appearance. What a kill joy.

Shinichi decided then and there to drop all pretences. There was no point trying to get a rise out of Kid if the thief wasn't going to play along. Besides, he had some questions that he wanted answered.

"Why do we look so alike, anyway?" Shinichi asked. "I mean, there are a few differences, but even I didn't notice them at first."

Kid spread his hands in the universal sign of guilt. "Alas, you caught me out. I'm secretly your long-lost twin. It's a tragic story. Truly, it'll bring tears to your eyes."

Shinichi gave the boy a flat look. He didn't even need to speak to convey how unimpressed he was with that answer.

Now it was Kid's turn to pout. "You're no fun," he complained.

"Like I was ever going to believe you're my twin."

Kid grinned. "You're right. The truth is I'm really an alien. Or your alien doppelganger, if you will. I've made some fascinating observations while I've been here on earth as well. Did you know—"

Shinichi just sighed. "Kid."

"Yes?"

"Please stop talking."

Kid laughed. With a flick of his wrist, the coin was back and rolling at unnatural speed along his knuckles. "You want the truth?" he said, and now there was a second coin joining the first. "I've got no idea why we look alike. I just took it as a lucky coincidence and decided to make the most of it." He flashed one of his unnerving grins. "Your face comes in handy when Inspector Nakamori gets pinch-happy."

"So glad I can be of use," Shinichi said, looking anything but pleased.

Kid made the coins vanish again. "Well, you can't really complain," he said smoothly. "That same coincidence is helping to protect _your_ secret right now. I could have made you a disguise, sure, but wearing a mask has its limitations." He shrugged. "All things considered, you've got it pretty easy switching bodies with me. I'm sure you've noticed that you don't even have to try hard to disguise your voice."

Shinichi had to admit that was true. Not only did they look alike, but they even sounded alike. If he was of a more paranoid frame of mind, he'd almost be tempted to believe in the alien doppelganger theory. Still, the differences between them did exist and were indeed apparent to anyone who cared to look (or listen) closely enough. The illusion just became that much more difficult to unravel when you blurred those differences by giving whoever Kid really was a hairstyle that had only been seen on one Kudo Shinichi.

Which brought Shinichi right back to point one.

"Aren't you worried?"

Kid raised his eyebrows. "Worried about what?"

"I know what you look like now," Shinichi explained, as if speaking to a small child. Which he was in a way. Ha, irony. "I can easily find out your real identity."

Kid let out a small snort of laughter, much to Shinichi's surprise. "You're currently inhabiting my body, tantei-kun. You can find out my identity anytime you want if you're determined enough. A single hair, a fingerprint, a drop of blood." Kid ticked off each on his fingers. "The avenues for discovering who I am are endless, and believe me when I say that I have been well aware of this fact. As have you, I'm sure."

Now it was Shinichi's turn to raise his eyebrows. "If you realised that much, why bother trying to make me believe there was a disguise at all?"

Kid shrugged. "Because it was entertaining to see you flounder in confusion as you pieced everything together? Because I had nothing to lose?" He leaned forward, flashing his teeth in an unreadable smile. "Or, maybe, I just trusted that you _weren't_ that determined."

Shinichi's eyebrows rose a little higher. "Oh?"

"Allow me to explain." Kid walked forward until he was standing directly in front of Shinichi. "Right now we're relying on each other to protect our own secrets. That alone makes me doubt that you would rush off to the police just to get forensics to confirm my identity for you."

"True," Shinichi acknowledged.

"But there's one other thing." Kid's mouth curved into a wicked grin. "You owe me."

Shinichi folded his arms across his chest. "Really? I thought the scales were pretty balanced between us."

Kid smiled pleasantly enough, but there was a hint of steel in his eyes that Shinichi had only seen a few times before. "Understand this, detective. If I help you with anything, it's because I've chosen to do it. That incident on the train? I didn't have to stick around to help that woman just because you discovered my identity. I always have multiple escape routes planned. Always." He shrugged, and some of the steel faded from his eyes to be replaced with his usual good humour. "Consider yourself lucky that I'm such a nice person. Your black-garbed friends could have killed me with that explosion, but you'll notice that I didn't hold it against you."

"I knew you could handle it," Shinichi said simply. "I wouldn't have asked you to take her place if I hadn't known you would find a way to get out of there when the time came."

Kid waved the justification off with an airy hand. "You're missing the point, tantei-kun. I'll admit you're my toughest critic and have a knack for keeping me on my toes, but I don't need you to "let me go", as you phrase it, in order to make an exit from a heist, and I think you know that too." He poked Shinichi in the ribs. "So, yes, you do owe me, because I've saved your scrawny butt more times than I can count on one hand, not to mention all your horde of trouble-magnet friends."

Shinichi couldn't argue with that. It was true. Kid, for all that he was an internationally wanted criminal, was also a very handy ally to have in a pinch.

A softer smile curved Kid's lips then, more fond than antagonising. "Besides, at the end of the day, you're _you_."

Shinichi frowned and demanded to know what that was supposed to mean, but Kid just smiled knowingly and would explain no further. Instead, he suggested that they should focus on the real problem at hand: namely, how they got stuck in each other's bodies in the first place.

"Really, tantei-kun," Kid said, shaking his head in solemn disapproval, "you're supposed to be the detective here. You should be focussing on finding evidence, not trying to charm me into giving you my personal details. What would Ran-chan say?"

That was when Shinichi covered his face with his hands to smother his laughter. He gave up. He really did. Kaitou Kid wasn't just an annoying phantom thief; he was incorrigible.

* * *

Thus ends chapter three. Next up: the investigation begins!


	4. The Investigation Begins

Apologies for being a fail whale and not updating last week. Things got a bit crazy, and I had to be a responsible adult and do the whole "sleep thing" so I could actually function at work. It's tragic, I know.

* * *

 **The Investigation Begins**

"Well, that was a waste of time," Kid said flatly.

Shinichi made a noncommittal grunt and shoved his hands in his pockets, still brooding over the fact that the museum had turned out to be a dead end. He and Kid had meticulously searched every inch of the roof and had not found a trace of evidence to suggest that something untoward had happened. It was a difficult pill to swallow, not just because it put Shinichi's pride as a detective on the line, but because it meant that the boys now had no leads. They were stuck in each other's bodies and, unless a miracle happened, seemed to have no hope of getting back to normal.

Kid stopped next to one of the vending machines that lined the street and rummaged around in his pocket for some coins. "Want a drink?" he asked.

Shinichi shook his head.

"Suit yourself," Kid said with a shrug.

He inserted the yen into the machine and pushed the desired button. There was a "clonk", and then Kid grabbed the plastic bottle, opened the cap, and began leisurely sipping on the drink as the two of them continued walking to the station. Shinichi noted, more in an absent way, that Kid had picked the Kirin chocolate milk tea. It seemed the little thief had a sweet tooth. Or maybe just a chocolate tooth.

Shinichi shook his head, as if to push the useless deduction aside. He needed to focus on finding a way to fix this body-swapping mess, not worry about why Kaitou Kid preferred sugary drinks over the more pragmatic thirst quenchers. The problem was that Shinichi really had no idea where to start now that the museum plan had failed. Plus, this was the longest he had ever spent in Kid's company. It would have been stranger had he not found himself collating little facts about the magician. Between Kid's poker face and his freakish ability to take on the identity of another person, finding any solid information about the guy was like trying to hold water in cupped hands. Shinichi had to make the most of any scraps that he got.

Kid lowered the plastic bottle from his lips. "If you keep staring at me like that, detective, you're going to make me blush."

Shinichi repressed a snort. One thing he knew for certain: the thief delighted in teasing him.

"Have you heard anything from your assistant?" Shinichi asked, changing the subject.

Kid made a humming sound. He brought out his phone and pushed a few buttons on the touch screen. "No messages," he observed, switching to his professional voice. "It's barely been a day since I contacted him, so he's probably holed up somewhere doing research right now. Still, given the fact that we've lost our only lead, it might be better if I just call him."

Shinichi nodded in agreement. He was a little surprised, however, when Kid handed him the chocolate milk tea and then removed a familiar bowtie from his pocket and started fiddling with the dials. That was odd. Kid could mimic people perfectly, male or female, and had never needed the use of a voice changer before. When Shinichi said as much, the thief just sighed.

"This body has limitations," Kid said, gesturing at his prepubescent form. "It's easier to sound like a female now, but any male older than fourteen is a stretch." He shrugged. "If I can't mimic a voice perfectly, I won't do it at all. Lucky for me, you have this handy little bowtie."

"I see," Shinichi said.

He could appreciate the sentiment. He had felt the same frustration when he'd been shrunk to the size of a first grader and realised just how cumbersome it was to be tiny and high-pitched. It was only Professor Agasa's gadgets that had saved him from being utterly useless. Shinichi didn't know how he would have stayed sane without them.

Kid pushed the button to call his assistant and then held the phone to his ear. He raised his eyebrow at Shinichi, who was still standing beside him and holding the PET bottle. Right. Kid probably didn't want him listening in on the conversation. Must uphold secret identity and all that.

Sighing in an exaggerated way, Shinichi wandered a little down the street and took up residence against the front of a convenience store. Kid seemed satisfied with the distance, because he soon began speaking to whoever was on the other end of the phone, using the bowtie to sound like his own voice. Shinichi repressed the urge to smile and slipped a small device into his left ear. Too bad for Kid that no amount of space could stop the microphone attached to the bowtie from feeding the conversation back to Shinichi through the listening device he'd just inserted.

"Yo, Gramps."

Kid's "adult" voice came through the speaker, completely free of the cultured smoothness that Shinichi was used to hearing when the magician was in his proper form. So this was Kaitou Kid's real voice: casual, confident, and a little careless when it came to pronunciation. Interesting. There was a pause as the person on the other line spoke. Shinichi managed to pick out from the muffled sounds that it was an elderly man. Probably the same one who had accompanied Kid during the Mystery Train debacle. Unfortunately, the man's voice was too muffled and crackling with static to hear exactly what he was saying. The most Shinichi managed to gauge was that the old man addressed Kid as "young master", and that he seemed to be worried.

"Don't stress," Kid said with a laugh. "I haven't been kidnapped; I just got a little caught up with something after the heist."

Another pause. More crackling.

"No, it has nothing to do with _them_. _"_

Crackle, mumble, crackle.

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Kid demanded, sounding a bit put out. "The only people at the heist were the Task Force and the little tantei-kun. No scary men with guns were involved, so stop acting like a mother hen and just listen to me for a minute."

More mumbling.

Kid sighed. "Look, I can't explain everything right now, but I'm telling you that you don't have to worry. I've got it under control."

Crackle, mumble, crackle.

"Yes, it does have to do with the text I sent you last night," Kid said. "That's actually why I'm calling. The lead I was following hit a dead end. I know you probably haven't had much time to research, but I was hoping you might have some information for me."

Shinichi covered his ear with his free hand, trying to block out the interfering sounds coming from the street so he could hear the conversation better. The old man's voice was still too muffled and full of static, but he did catch the word "magic" quite a few times and something about wishes.

"I see," Kid said thoughtfully. "Well, I guess it's a start. Thank you."

Crackle, mumble, crackle.

Kid let out another sigh. "I don't know. This—" he paused, as if reconsidering what he was about to say "— _situation_ I'm in is a little complicated. Not life-threatening or anything, but it's too much of a risk to go home right now or come visit you."

Crackle, mumble, crackle.

"More like there is a detective attached to my hip, and I'd rather not have him sniffing around. He already knows too much."

Shinichi pulled a face. He was not attached to Kid's hip, thank you very much. It seemed the old man wasn't too impressed with the comment either, though for quite different reasons. He said "young master" in a protesting tone and Shinichi heard the word "reckless" more than once.

Kid chuckled. "That's why I'm steering clear for now. Don't worry, this detective isn't like Hakuba. I think I'm safe enough with him, but I'd rather not get anyone else involved if I can help it. Not even you."

Mumble, crackle, mumble.

"Of course I'll be careful." There was a pause, and Kid's voice became softer. "Just do me a favour, would you? Make sure Aoko doesn't find out about this."

Shinichi frowned. There was that name again. Aoko.

The old man said something that made Kid let out another laugh.

"She'll hound me first before she thinks about approaching you. Don't worry, I'll send her a text with some excuse to explain my absence. With any luck, you won't have to deal with her at all."

More mumbling.

"I doubt Mum will even notice," Kid said wryly, "but you just reminded me that I had better message her as well. It'd be bad if she realises I'm not at home and contacts Aoko to find out where I am."

The old man said something, and Shinichi started when he realised that Kid was looking his way. He quickly removed the device from his ear and shoved his hand (along with the device) into his pocket, trying to appear as bored as possible. Kid said something into the phone and then hung up. His gaze never left Shinichi.

 _Damn. Did he realise I was listening?_

Shinichi stared at the brightly coloured bottle he was still holding. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt a little guilty now, as if he had somehow broken an unspoken trust by listening to Kid's conversation. It didn't help when Kid came to stand in front of him, looking all frowny faced and unimpressed.

"Detectives," Kid said in a resigned voice, slipping the phone and bowtie back into his pocket. "You just can't help yourselves, can you?"

Shinichi handed him the chocolate milk tea. "What gave me away?"

"The static," Kid said. "I thought it was a bit weird, but it didn't click until I saw you holding your hand to your ear." He sighed and waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Well, I suppose it's my fault for not noticing sooner. So, how much did you hear?"

Shinichi gave an honest account of what he had managed to pick up on the listening device, not holding anything back. It was the least he could do for taking advantage of the situation. Kid's eyes widened slightly when the name "Aoko" was mentioned, but he otherwise remained calm.

"I noticed you said her name this morning as well when I woke you up," Shinichi said a bit apologetically. "Is she your sister or something?"

Kid was startled into a snort of laughter. "Sister? That booming-voiced—"

He broke off suddenly, as if realising that his Kaitou Kid mask had slipped and he had just revealed more information than he wanted. There was an awkward pause as the two boys stared at each other.

"No, she's not my sister," Kid said more seriously. "And that's all I'm going to say on the matter, so don't bother asking any more questions."

Shinichi nodded. He could respect that. He'd react in the same way if someone started questioning him about Ran.

"So, what did the old man say exactly about his research on body swapping?" Shinichi asked, deciding to take pity on the thief by changing the subject. "You said 'it was a start', but you didn't seem overly enthused."

Kid scratched his cheek. "Well, it seems like body swapping is a difficult thing to pin down, even in magical lore. Most accounts put the occurrence down to an odd quirk in fate or the result of a wish." A cheeky smile. "Unless you've been making pining wishes about me under the stars, I'd say those two explanations aren't going to get us anywhere except another dead end."

"Trust me," Shinichi said flatly, "the only thing I've been wishing about is to have a permanent cure for my condition. You don't feature at all."

Kid placed his hand against his heart in mock-hurt, but he grinned a second later. "That's why I think we'd have better luck investigating the other point Gramps mentioned."

"Oh?"

"You probably won't like it," Kid admitted, "but Gramps said that sometimes elixirs or powerful objects of magic can be used to make people switch bodies. It's not much of a lead, but—"

"It's a start," Shinichi said, echoing Kid's own words.

Kid just nodded, if a little absently. He'd got that distant look in his eyes again, as he had the first time the two of them had spoken about their condition possibly being the result of real magic. It was obvious that he was troubled by something. Before Shinichi could ask for enlightenment, he was distracted by a chorus of childish voices calling out his fake name.

Biting back a curse, Shinichi turned to see the Detective Boys, minus Haibara, grinning at the little boy they thought was Edogawa Conan. Kid, to do him credit, instantly put on his "Conan" mask and responded to the children with appropriate friendliness. It could have been Shinichi himself talking to them, which was both disturbing and relieving. It seemed that he wouldn't have to worry about Kid breaking character, though it made him wonder just how much Kid had been observing him during their encounters to interact with even the Detective Boys so perfectly.

"Ah!" Ayumi exclaimed, shifting her attention to Shinichi. "It's Shinichi-oniisan!"

Shinichi smiled and bent down so that he was closer to her height. "Hello, Ayumi."

Her cheeks went bright pink. How awkward. It seemed she had a crush on him whether he was tiny or tall.

Mitsuhiko stepped forward. "We never got a chance to thank you for helping us on that island," he said in his polite, articulate voice. "I admit, I don't know what we would have done had you not been there to get rid of those crocodiles."

"Oh!" Ayumi said excitedly. "The thing he did with the rubber bands, right? Ayumi thought that Shinichi-oniisan was so cool!"

"It's too bad we weren't able to catch that thief, though," Genta complained, clasping his hands behind his head. He grinned. "I bet the police would have treated us to a whole buffet of eel bowls if we'd helped them get Kaitou Kid."

Shinichi shared a glance with Kid, who looked as if he wasn't sure whether to laugh or facepalm. Pretty much a mirror of his own expression.

"So, where's the evil-eyed yawny girl who's always with you guys?" Shinichi asked, glancing around the street. The last thing they needed was for Haibara to appear.

Genta sniggered. "You must be talking about Haibara."

Mitsuhiko folded his arms across his chest. "It's not nice to talk about people that way, Shinichi-san. Haibara-san is our friend."

Shinichi held his hands up in an appeasing gesture. "Hey, hey, it was a joke. So, where's Haibara?"

"Ai-chan said she's busy today," Ayumi said, pouting. Her expression brightened, and she latched onto Kid. "But you'll play with us. Right, Conan-Kun?"

Kid's eyes widened. He quickly made his excuses, even as he tried to detach himself from Ayumi's grip. Unfortunately for him, the Detective Boys had never been good at taking no for an answer. Genta and Mitsuhiko grabbed each of his arms and probably would have frog-marched him away had Shinichi not stepped in and plucked the boy up by the scruff of his jacket.

"Sorry, I'll be borrowing this kid for the day," Shinichi said, giving the three children an apologetic smile. "Maybe you can play with Conan-kun tomorrow."

The Detective Boys didn't look too happy at losing their friend, but there was little they could do when Shinichi was holding Kid out of their reach. Reluctantly, they said their goodbyes and carried on down the street, no doubt heading towards the baseball sandlot. As soon as they were out of earshot, Kid slipped out of Shinichi's hold and started straightening his clothes.

"Geez, I feel like a sack of potatoes," Kid complained, now fixing up his collar. "Is this what it's always like for you?"

Shinichi sighed. "You have no idea."

Kid patted him on the arm. "You have my sympathies, detective," he said, though the upturned twitch of his lips ruined the effect.

"Yeah, yeah," Shinichi muttered. "Let's just head to the library. I'm sure they have a small section on the occult. Maybe we'll be able to find something to help us there."

"Right," Kid said, getting that distant look in his eyes again. "The occult."

A crease formed on Shinichi's brow. "You know, every time I mention magic you get this weird look on your face. Is there something you know about our situation that you're not telling me?"

"More like I wish I knew," Kid said with a sigh. "I really don't know why we switched bodies. I just—"

"You just what?" Shinichi prompted.

"Nothing," Kid said, shaking his head. "It's too much of a risk."

Shinichi grabbed his arm. "Hey, if you know something that could help us get back to our own bodies, you should tell me."

Kid met his eyes grimly. "Trust me, detective. It would be better if you never meet _that person_. She's tried to kill me more than once, and that's when she's feeling affectionate. I'd rather not ask her for help if I can avoid it."

Shinichi didn't know how to respond to that statement. He really didn't know much about Kid's life, but it sounded like the phantom thief had quite a few people on his tail who would have happily put him six feet under. The assistant had mentioned on the phone something about men with guns attending Kid heists, and now it seemed there was a female after him as well. It made Shinichi wonder anew why the talented magician chose to take such risks just to steal jewels that he always, for whatever reason, ended up returning.

"You know some strange people," was all Shinichi managed to say.

Kid gave an inelegant snort. "This coming from the guy who's friends with a shrunken, presumed-to-be-dead scientist, has an organisation of alcoholics trying to kill him, and who—"

"Alright, alright, you've made your point," Shinichi said, though he couldn't quite hide his smile. "Besides, the organisation aren't alcoholics. They just use alcohol for their codenames."

Kid waved his hand dismissively. "Details."

Shinichi shook his head, even as his smile widened a fraction. Kid always seemed to be making some kind of joke to lighten the mood whenever things got serious. It was kind of a relief, actually. So much of Shinichi's life was already so messed up. Kid's flippant comments and easy-going nature certainly helped to make their current situation a bit more bearable. Not that Shinichi would admit as much aloud.

"Let's just get to the library," Shinichi said, getting them both back on track.

Kid nodded, and the two boys continued walking in companionable silence. It was time for round two.

 **oOo**

Beika Library had not turned out to be a treasure trove of clues. The section on the occult had indeed been small. Though Shinichi and Kid had both poured over all the books they could find on magical elixirs and objects until the kanji blurred before their eyes, no great epiphanies were discovered. As such, it was two very tired and dispirited boys who walked through the doors to the Mouri household.

"You're back!" Ran exclaimed, smiling at them from where she was setting the table for dinner.

Shinichi made a noncommittal grunt. Even Kid just slipped his shoes off and then collapsed on the sofa with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Ran asked.

"Nothing," the boys said in unison.

Ran frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "It obviously isn't nothing. Both of you look about as cheerful as Dad when he misses a Yoko Okino show."

"It's just been a long day," Shinichi said. He glanced around the living room. "Where is Uncle, anyway?"

"Playing mahjong with his friends," Ran said with a disapproving roll of her eyes.

Right. That meant lots of alcohol and gambling. Kogoro was going to be a handful when he came home later. Shinichi wondered if it would be better just to risk going back to his own house. It wasn't like he could stay with the Mouris forever now that he actually looked like Kudo Shinichi. Plus, he hadn't forgotten what had happened with Ran earlier that day. Much as he had promised Kid that he wouldn't do anything, Shinichi knew that his self-control wasn't the best when it came to Ran. He didn't know what he would do if she tried to kiss him again.

As it turned out, the matter was decided for him. His phone vibrated against his leg, telling him that he had a message. Shinichi frowned and pulled out the slim device, inputting the password and clicking on the shortcut to read the text. It was from Haibara, and the words, simple as they were, made him realise just how unfortunate it was that the Detective Boys had spotted him earlier.

 _Yoshida tells me she saw Conan-kun and Shinichi-oniisan today,_ Shinichi read. _You have some explaining to do, Kudo-kun._

Looking a bit pale, Shinichi clicked out of the message and slid the phone back into his pocket. He then turned to Kid.

"We have a problem."

* * *

Note: The island with the crocodiles that the Detective Boys mention is a reference to the _Kid on Trap Island_ OVA (one of my personal favourites).

Well, we've come to the end of another chapter. Shinichi learns a bit more about our favourite thief, but he's not having quite as much luck solving the mystery of why they switched bodies. Kid also alludes to a certain female who might be able to help them, but it seems that he's really not keen to approach her. Three guesses as to whom that might be. *insert evil author cackle*

Until next time!


	5. Complications

Big thank you to all the guest reviewers! I can't reply, but I do appreciate your comments! :D

* * *

 **Complications**

Dinner turned out to be an interesting affair. Ran had called the boys over to the table before Shinichi could explain to Kid their latest complication (or, as he had mentally dubbed it, the Haibara Problem). He could understand that Kid might be a little on edge after witnessing him blurt out that they had a problem upon receiving a text. Except the thief was normally so calm, and even a lapse in maintaining poker face didn't explain why Kid looked ready to bolt.

"Conan-kun, you're not eating," Ran said, frowning at the boy. "Here, have some mackerel." She picked up one of the pieces of grilled fish with her chopsticks and held it towards him.

Kid leaned away from the chopsticks and laughed nervously. "That's okay, Ran-neechan. You or Shinichi-niichan can have my piece. I'll just—"

"Don't be silly," she interjected. "I know how much you like fish."

The next second she had plonked the mackerel on top of his bowl of rice. Kid's eyes widened into saucers and he made an odd motion, almost lurching backwards. The hand that wasn't occupied with his chopsticks kept twitching as well, as if he wanted to fling his bowl, along with all of its contents, away from him. Shinichi had never seen such strange behaviour from the thief.

Ran beamed. "Eat up!"

Kid just gave a weak smile. "Right."

A crease formed on Shinichi's brow. Ran had gone back to eating, but the thief still made no motion to do anything with his chopsticks. Instead, Kid swallowed and stared at his bowl as if it was some Herculean task that needed to be conquered. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His hand wavered, and the chopsticks quivered a little.

Shinichi blinked. Kid looked _scared._

Making sure that Ran didn't notice the movement, Shinichi nudged Kid's leg with his foot to get the boy's attention. "What's wrong?" he mouthed.

Kid just stared at him with panic-glazed eyes. It was unnerving. Shinichi had never seen Kid look so shaken. Not ever. The boy looked like he was about to have a panic attack. He'd even started hyperventilating a little. Apparently, the odd behaviour was enough to get Ran's attention again and send her into Concerned Sister mode, as she began to fuss over Kid. When he didn't respond, she leaned over and touched his arm.

"Conan-kun?" Ran squeezed his arm in a reassuring gesture. "Is everything okay? Are you not feeling well?"

"W-what?" Kid stammered, blinking and dropping his chopsticks with a clatter.

She made a tsking sound and removed her hand. "Geez, you weren't even listening."

Kid visibly tried to piece his Conan mask back together. "Ah, sorry, Ran-neechan." He picked up the chopsticks and started shovelling rice into his mouth. "Mmm, this is really good!"

Shinichi's eyes narrowed. Kid never stammered. He never dropped things either. Something was definitely wrong. That was when Shinichi noticed the side-long, panicked glances that Kid kept throwing at the mackerel. Was it to do with the fish? A closer scrutiny revealed that the boy had perched himself as far from the table as possible, keeping his body angled away from the plate of seafood. Definitely the fish. Judging from the unnatural stiffness of Kid's posture, everything in him was probably screaming to run, run run. No doubt it was willpower alone that was keeping him seated at the table.

Shinichi wasn't prone to random acts of kindness—especially when he knew it was going to get him into trouble with Ran—but he decided to take pity on the thief now. He quickly ate his own fish and then snatched the piece of mackerel from Kid's plate and stuffed it into his mouth, making sure to grin at the boy just like an annoying niichan would. Right on cue, Ran swiped at Shinichi's head and began to scold him for stealing food from Conan's plate.

"He's tiny as it is!" she exclaimed. "How's he supposed to grow if you eat all his food?"

 _Oi, oi. I'm not that tiny_ , Shinichi thought in disgruntlement. Okay, so he was shorter than Mitsuhiko and Genta, but that didn't make him tiny.

"It's okay, Ran-neechan," Kid said, managing a smile. Some of the colour had returned to his face now that all of the mackerel had been eaten. "I wasn't that hungry anyway. I'm sure Shinichi-niichan was just making sure I didn't waste anything, since you put so much effort into making this meal for us."

Ran pursed her lips. She obviously wasn't satisfied with the explanation. Shinichi repressed a sigh. He'd have to appease her later. Still, at least his plan had worked. Kid no longer looked like a sweating mess of panic, which meant the risk of having their cover blown by a Kaitou Kid freak out had passed. It was a huge relief, and both boys were able to finish the rest of their meal in relative equanimity. Not that Shinichi was about to let the matter drop that easily. As soon as Ran began to clear away the dishes, he thanked her for the meal and then dragged Kid off to Kogoro's room. Kid didn't put up any resistance, but he didn't look particularly happy either.

"You have ichthyophobia," Shinichi observed, once he had closed the door behind them.

Kid scrunched his nose. "Please, I'm Kaitou Kid. I'm not scared of anything."

"You were sweating."

A shrug. "It was hot."

"You looked like you were going to run screaming when Ran put that piece of mackerel on your plate."

Kid waved his hand dismissively. "The fish must have made you hallucinate. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Shinichi raised his eyebrow. Calmly, he pulled his phone out from his pocket and held the screen up to Kid's face. The smaller boy froze and his eyes widened. There, on the screen, a scaly salmon was displayed in all its fishy glory. When Shinichi held the image closer, Kid leaned back—and kept on leaning until he eventually couldn't stand it anymore and swatted at the phone in blind panic.

"Alight, alright!" Kid exclaimed, squeezing his eyes shut and keeping his face averted from the screen. "I can't handle fish! I admit it! Now get that thing away from me!"

Shinichi slipped the phone back into his pocket. "See, that wasn't so hard."

Kid glared at him. "I hate you."

Shinichi's mouth twitched into a smile. There was no trace of the infamous poker face. Shinichi had a feeling that, right now, he was speaking to the real person behind the top hat and monocle. Every sulky, teenage bit of the boy. Not that he had wanted to go to such lengths to confirm his suspicions about Kid's phobia. It was the thief's own fault for being stubborn. Still, it did make Shinichi wonder…

"Why fish?" Shinichi asked.

Kid folded his arms across his chest. "Why does it even matter? Just because you're a detective does not mean you need to know everything." He pouted a little. "Geez, it's bad enough you've figured out this much. The only other people who know are Aoko and my mother, and at least I can trust them not to take advantage of the information." A pause. "Well, Aoko pushes the boundaries sometimes, but she'd never do anything to actually harm me."

Shinichi blinked, even as Kid muttered something about fish-printed panties. Whatever that meant.

"You think I'd use your phobia against you?" Shinichi asked, not quite able to hide his shock.

"I think you're a detective," Kid said bluntly. "Who's to say what you would do if you felt it was important enough? You do seem to enjoy kicking those hellish soccer balls at me every time we meet."

Shinichi tried not to laugh. "Kid, if you're fretting because you think I'm going to turn up to one of your heists with a freshly-caught tuna or something, you don't need to worry. I'm not that cruel."

Kid shot him a suspicious look. "You say that now, but I know you detectives. You've got your own stash of dirty-handed tricks, and you're not afraid to use them when it suits you. I know Hakuba wouldn't think twice about coming to a heist with a whole crate of fish if he found out."

"You said it yourself, didn't you?" Shinichi said softly. "I'm not Hakuba."

There was a pause as the two boys stared at each other. Then a reluctant smile curved Kid's mouth.

"I guess you're not," Kid agreed. "Just remember, detective-san: with great power comes great responsibility. You know Kaitou Kid's weakness now. Such power is not to be used lightly."

"Yeah, yeah," Shinichi said, rolling his eyes. "I see you're still as humble as ever."

Kid gave a mock bow. "I try."

Shinichi just shook his head in a mixture of exasperation and amusement. There really was no winning with Kid. The thief seemed to have a response for everything, even after having his big weakness exposed. Still, Shinichi couldn't help but feel like something had subtly shifted in their relationship with the revelation of Kid's phobia. It was a discovery that was too personal to be brushed aside, forcing the boys to cross the line they had both drawn to keep a professional distance from each other. Sure, Shinichi could have played the cool detective and filed the information away for later use, but he'd realised from the moment Kid had accused him of doing thus that the thought had never occurred to him. Not even once.

There was an unspoken trust that existed between them. Shinichi didn't want to be the one to break it.

He told himself that it was just because he wanted to capture Kaitou Kid cleanly. He didn't want to use underhanded tricks or to place himself on the same level as a schoolyard bully, using his target's fears to give himself the upper hand. However, the single truth whispered in his mind explained his reluctance in much simpler terms: Kid was growing on him. Granted, a bit like an unwanted fungus, but growing on him all the same. Their alliance had always been dysfunctional, but there was no getting around the fact that Kid was a likeable guy. Put simply, Shinichi didn't have the heart to use the information against the thief. Not when he had seen how genuinely scared Kid had got over a bit of mackerel. Not when he knew what it was like to feel so vulnerable and at the mercy of another.

Not when he was sort of, maybe, reluctantly beginning to see the other boy as a friend.

Damn it. He really _was_ getting soft.

Kid raised his eyebrow at Shinichi. "Doing some deep thinking there, detective-san?"

Shinichi blinked. "Huh?"

Kid's mouth twitched. "Never mind." He sat on the edge of Kogoro's bed and clasped his hands loosely on his lap, looking up at Shinichi with a sober expression. "So, what was this problem you spoke of earlier? You got pretty pale back there."

"Oh, that."

Shinichi explained that he had received a text from Haibara demanding to know why Ayumi had seen Conan and Shinichi walking together—an impossible occurrence since Edogawa Conan was just a fabricated identity to cover the fact that Kudo Shinichi had shrunk to the size of a first grader. The only time the two boys had been seen together was when Haibara had disguised herself as Conan while Shinichi had returned to his normal size thanks to the cure she had given him. Since no antidote had been used this time, the teenage Kudo should have never existed.

In short, Shinichi and Kid were busted.

"It's unlikely she would have realised your involvement yet," Shinichi said, "but it's only a matter of time. She knows my parents have gone back to America, so that rules my mum out as a potential accomplice. Hattori is the only other person she might suspect, but getting him a Kudo Shinichi disguise that's good enough to fool the Detective Boys isn't possible without my mum's assistance, which we just established _isn't_ possible."

Kid frowned. "Which just leaves Kaitou Kid: the only other person who your scientist friend knows has the ability to disguise as you."

"Pretty much."

Kid rubbed his chin. "I suppose you couldn't fob her off with some kind of lie either." He made a tsking sound. "Damn it. I really didn't want to get anyone else involved."

"I don't see any way around it," Shinichi said, if a bit apologetically. "Haibara is too sharp. She knows I would never let you disguise as me for no reason. Since I'm not currently under threat from the organisation, nor has Ran been trying to prove I'm Shinichi again, I have no reason to be working with you. Haibara will just get more suspicious if we don't tell her truth."

Kid sighed in reluctant agreement. "You know, I think your bad luck is contagious. I've never known so many things to go wrong since I switched bodies with you." He pulled at his shirt distastefully. "It's like this body just wants all of my secrets to be discovered. I shudder to think what will happen next."

Shinichi folded his arms across his chest. "Well, excuse me for having such bad luck."

"Hey, even the police have nicknamed you the Corpse Magnet," Kid pointed out. "Face it: you are a walking calamity waiting to happen. I'm surprised you've survived this long with the way you seem to attract every possible kind of trouble."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Kid shrugged. "Well, on the flipside, you could argue that you have an uncannily large amount of luck to have survived so many life-threatening encounters."

"Yeah, that's really not making me feel better," Shinichi deadpanned.

"Ah well." Kid waved his hand airily. "We can worry about who you offended in your past life another time. Let's just focus on dealing with Miss Scientist for now."

Shinichi nodded, glad for the change of topic. Besides, it really was dangerous to leave Haibara in suspicious mode. He typed a quick text to the shrunken scientist saying that they would come over soon to explain everything. He then told Kid to pack an overnight bag, since they'd probably end up staying at the professor's house. In the meantime, Shinichi would go make their excuses to Ran.

"Good luck," Kid said. "She didn't seem too happy with you earlier."

"No thanks to you," Shinichi muttered.

"Ah, yeah."

There was an awkward pause. Both were aware that it was Shinichi who had stepped in to stop Kid from having a panic attack at the dinner table.

Kid rubbed the base of his neck, looking anywhere but at Shinichi. "Listen, um, I know that you probably only did it so that our covers weren't blown and all, but, well—" He shrugged and offered a small smile. "Thanks."

Shinichi blinked. He honestly couldn't say whether he had taken the mackerel from Kid's plate to stop the thief from having a meltdown and exposing their secret or if he was just genuinely concerned for the guy. Maybe it was a bit of both. Maybe he just wanted to confirm for himself whether Kid had ichthyophobia. Whatever the case, hearing Kid thank him with such awkward sincerity made him realise that he was just glad he had acted. That didn't stop him from seizing the chance to sneak in some teasing of his own, though.

"Don't mention it," Shinichi said, and then leaned down to ruffle Kid's hair. "I was just doing what any niichan would when he saw his otouto in distress."

Kid's eyes narrowed. "You just wait till we've switched bodies again, detective-san. You won't be able to pull out the little brother jokes then."

Shinichi just laughed and headed for the door, leaving the scowling thief to fix up his hair.

Yes. He was definitely getting soft.

 **oOo**

Saying goodbye to Ran ended up being more difficult than Shinichi had anticipated. She had not been in the kitchen when he had gone to look for her, which was how he had found himself hesitating outside her bedroom door. The glow slipping through the cracks told him that she was inside. He could even hear the soft pad of her footsteps as she moved around. It should have been a simple matter of him making his and "Conan's" excuses and then leaving. Except all Shinichi could think about now was the almost-kiss from earlier.

There was something about bedrooms that made everything so much more intimate.

Shinichi swallowed against the sudden dryness in his mouth and knocked on the door. He heard some muffled sounds from within, and then Ran slid the door open and blinked up at him.

"Oh," she said, going a bit pink. "It's you."

"Hey," Shinichi said, rubbing the base of his neck. "I just came to say goodbye."

Some of the light faded from her eyes. "Oh."

Shinichi tried not to feel guilty for making her look so disappointed. Tried and failed.

"It's just for a little while," he said in a rush. "The professor needs me to look at something tonight, and you know I can't keep staying with you and Uncle Kogoro, even if I wanted to. I mean, I have my own house to get back to. Well, Subaru-san is there at the moment, but it's still my house, and—"

And he was rambling. The words spilled from him like a big mess of awkward goop, and not for the first time did he wonder how it was that Ran managed to turn him from a highly intelligent and articulate young man into some bumbling idiot who'd trip over his words as much as his own shoes. Perhaps Shakespeare was right: love really did make fools out of everyone.

Ran's fingers brushed against his, making him falter in his nervous speech. He swallowed and met her gaze, struck by how very blue her eyes looked in that moment.

"It's okay, Shinichi," she said, and her lips curved into a warm smile. "You said it's only for a little while, right?"

He nodded.

"Then it's okay."

Shinichi let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. It really wasn't okay. Any day now he could switch back to his proper body and the teenager before her would disappear like smoke. Then it would be back to the phone calls and empty promises; back to feeling helpless as he watched her try so hard to be strong and not cry. It frustrated him that this was their endless routine: her waiting for him to return; him right there and unable to act on his feelings or even explain why "Shinichi" could never come home. Maybe that was why he found himself touching her cheek now, unable to resist the physical pull between them. He was getting so tired of denying what he truly wanted.

"Ran."

The longing in his voice was unmistakable. She was very close now. He could almost feel the heat of her body like an electric current in the air, reminding him that she was female, her lips were probably soft, and he was pretty sure she wouldn't mind at all if he tested this hypothesis. Their eyes met: blue colliding with blue. His heart skipped a beat, quickening until he could feel the blood pounding in his ears.

He really wanted to kiss her.

His gaze lowered to her lips. Soft-looking, a little parted, and very, very kissable. Shinichi leaned forward, even as a voice that sounded a lot like Kid's reminded him that he had promised not to do anything with Ran that Conan could not. The warning was enough to make Shinichi hesitate. It wasn't enough to stop Ran. Her face just kept on coming closer, and then there was nothing at all between them.

Ran had kissed him.

Shinichi's first thought was that her lips were just as velvety as he had imagined. His next was that he should really respond or something, because this awkward standing with lips mashed together thing was a bit, well, awkward. He threaded his fingers through her hair and tried increasing the pressure of his mouth on hers, which felt nice—especially when he tried again from a different angle. She made a soft sound, even as their lips slanted and brushed against each other so that the kiss became more of a teasing caress. They were finding their rhythm now. Her fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer. A shiver of pleasure rippled down his spine as their breath intermingled.

It suddenly made a lot of sense to use his tongue for something other than talking.

"Ahem."

Shinichi and Ran broke apart, startled by the sound of a throat being cleared. Kid stood before the blushing pair with his arms folded across his chest. There could be no salvaging the situation. Ran's hair was a mess and her lips were swollen. Shinichi knew that he probably looked the same. It was obvious that they hadn't been indulging in a harmless peck on the lips.

"Shinichi-niichan," Kid said cheerfully, "did you forget that you were supposed to be helping Professor Agasa tonight? I don't think we should keep him waiting, do you?"

Shinichi frowned. That over-bright smile and cheerful voice was not at all reassuring. In fact, he was pretty sure that Kid was planning some kind of punishment. This should have been worrying, except there was a large part of Shinichi that was still floating on cloud nine. He couldn't bring himself to regret the kiss.

"I'm sure Haibara will be happy to see you as well," Kid said pointedly.

That snapped Shinichi out of his happy daze. Haibara was terrifying when she was angry. Maybe more so than Ran, and that was saying something since the brunette could smash through doors with her bare fists. It would not be a good thing to keep Haibara waiting.

"Right," Shinichi said, and then turned to Ran. "Sorry, I—I really do need to go."

She nodded, still looking a bit pink in the face. He could tell that she didn't really want him to leave—and what he wouldn't give to be able to stay with her—but it was a different kind of disappointment than what he had seen in her eyes before. He thought he could understand. His body still thrummed with thwarted desire as well.

Kid grabbed his wrist. "Come on, Shinichi-niichan."

Shinichi blinked as he was tugged away from Ran. The thief made short work of saying their goodbyes to the girl and explaining that she didn't need to stay up for him, as he would be staying at the professor's house tonight with "Shinichi-niichan". Ran didn't even get a chance to protest, bombarded as she was by Kid's childish smiles and rapid stream of chatter. It was obvious that Kid had run out of patience and was using all of his wiles to end the blossoming _moment_ between the childhood friends.

So it was that Shinichi found himself murmuring an awkward goodnight to Ran while Kid forcibly dragged him out of the house. Kid maintained his Conan persona until they were well away from the detective agency, and then the thief ripped into him without mercy. Not that Kid actually raised his voice. He just made it clear that he thought Shinichi had done a stupid thing by kissing Ran, and that he would not be held accountable for the complications that followed.

"Geez, I take my eyes off you for a few minutes, and this is what you do," Kid muttered. "When I said good luck, I didn't mean go kiss her!"

"I'm sorry," Shinichi said, and he meant it. "I just—this isn't exactly easy for me."

Kid sighed. "Look, it's not like I don't understand, but you _are_ in my body. Don't let it get any further. It won't end well."

Shinichi just nodded. He knew that Kid was right. Unfortunately, Kid was also right about the kiss creating further complications. It had just occurred to Shinichi that Haibara was not going to be happy when she found out that he had kissed Ran while there was still no permanent antidote, and he knew she would find out. She had a sixth sense for this kind of thing.

Shinichi exhaled heavily. He was so screwed.

* * *

Marvel fans should recognise the _Spider Man_ quote I threw in there. I couldn't resist.

I feel like I should probably apologise to the absent Hakuba as well. He's sort of getting the short end of the stick here, but I feel like his crusade to capture Kid is a bit more personal/obsessive and justice driven than what we see displayed from Conan in later episodes. After all, Hakuba revealed what he learnt about Kid to the police (blood type, age, etc), whereas Conan/Shinichi tends to keep evidence to himself and will go out of his way to approach Kid alone so that they can have a private battle of wits. In short, I think Conan enjoys the chase, but he's not quite so pedantic about capturing Kid. Hakuba goes out of his way to help Kid as well in certain moments, but he doesn't seem quite as flexible … if that makes any sense.

I also need to apologise for not updating last week. Have been bombarded with family and have only been able to sneak in bits of writing here and there. This chapter also ended up way longer than I expected, so this is more or less part one of what I have titled "The Haibara Problem".

Next up, we finally see Haibara and the professor!


	6. The Haibara Problem

Apologies for the delay. I ended up getting really sick. :(

* * *

 **The Haibara Problem**

Shinichi shifted on the chair, looking anywhere but at the girl sitting opposite him. From the moment he and Kid had arrived at the professor's house, Haibara had been giving him a narrow-eyed look that he'd once termed the X-Ray Glare of Evil: an unimpressed, far too penetrating stare that made him feel like she was reading his every thought. That expression had not changed while he had explained his current dilemma to her and the professor, though she had cast a curious glance at the boy now inhabiting Edogawa Conan's body. Said boy wasn't even trying to help diffuse the situation. He just sat there next to Shinichi with his chin resting on his palm, swinging his legs idly in a "not my problem" kind of way.

Damn thief. Shinichi should have known that Kid wasn't going to let him off kissing Ran that easily. There was no point in hoping that the professor would save him either. Haibara had the old man wrapped around her little finger. The forced diet she made Agasa follow was a case in point.

Haibara raised her eyebrow once Shinichi finished his explanation. "I see," she said in her cool, detached voice. "So, how long were you planning on keeping this switch from me?"

Shinichi blanched. "It's not like I planned to keep it a secret from you specifically."

Her eyebrow rose even higher. "Oh, so if Yoshida-san hadn't contacted me, you wouldn't have told me the truth at all?"

Shinichi rubbed the base of his neck. "Uh, well—" He gave Kid a surreptitious nudge, as if to say that the thief could give him a little help.

Kid heaved a sigh. "It's true," he said in a bored voice, still resting his chin on his hand and gazing off in the other direction. "This detective thought we could just sleep off the effect or that a magical fix would make us switch back. Probably figured that it wouldn't be worth telling anyone."

Haibara covered her mouth to hide a smile. "Really, Kudo-kun?"

"Oi, oi," Shinichi said, glaring at the boy next to him. "You know damn well I only kept the switch a secret from Haibara and the professor because of you."

Kid just shrugged. "If you say so."

Shinichi's eyes narrowed. Kid was _so_ doing this on purpose.

Said thief ignored the scowl being directed his way and instead got to his feet, facing Haibara and the professor. "In any case, I don't believe we have been formally introduced." He lowered himself into an elegant bow. "Kaitou Kid, at your service—" a pause "—or, at least, that is what I would say if I wasn't currently shrimp-sized. Lately, I seem to go by Edogawa Conan." He flashed a smile. "Nice to meet you."

Professor Agasa chuckled. "The pleasure is all mine. I've heard a lot about you from Shinichi-kun and the children, though I didn't think I would ever be entertaining the infamous Kaitou Kid in my home."

Kid's mouth twitched. "Well, a lot of unexpected things have been happening lately."

Haibara said nothing. She just gave the thief a wary glance, as if she was still trying to decide what she thought of him. No doubt she was remembering that it was this same thief who had disguised himself as "Sherry" on the Mystery Train, allowing her to escape from Vermouth and Bourbon's grasp. Out of necessity, Kid had been given a quick run-down of her history and personality, but the two of them had never properly spoken to each other. In fact, the only time they had communicated directly was when she had guided him through an earpiece while he had confronted Bourbon in her place. Considering Haibara's trust issues, it wasn't that much of a surprise that she looked uncertain of how to react to the boy now.

Kid must have noticed Haibara's scrutiny, for he met her gaze in a frank way. "Something bothering you, Haibara-san?"

It was an invitation for her to say what was on her mind; an extension of goodwill that acknowledged he had been inducted into her secrets out of necessity rather than through her choice, if only to save her life. Haibara's expression became a mask of indifference.

"Not really," she said, averting her face.

Kid did not seem offended by her dismissal, if the upturned corners of his mouth were any indicator. Of course the thief who had perfected an iron-clad poker face would be able to discern when another person was trying to hide her emotions. Haibara might appear cold, but the silent "thank you" was still whispered in her crossed arms and slightly flushed cheeks. Instead of saying anything, however, he just turned to face Shinichi and the professor.

"So, what now?" Kid asked, clasping his hands behind his head.

Shinichi's brow creased. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. Mostly, he had been concerned with appeasing Haibara and getting the necessary explanations out of the way. The professor and Haibara had not needed much convincing, though. Shinichi supposed that was one benefit from shrinking to the size of a first-grader. Those who were in on the secret were much more inclined to believe in the previously inconceivable.

Haibara cast an assessing glance over the two boys. "You really have no idea how you might have switched bodies?"

Shinichi sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Trust me, we searched that museum from top to bottom and could find no clues."

Professor Agasa stroked his chin. "It certainly is a strange phenomenon. I would not have thought it possible if I weren't seeing the evidence in front of my eyes."

"No kidding," Shinichi said dryly.

Kid walked over to examine some of the professor's inventions that littered the shelf near him. He picked up a small doll that was shaped like a Goemon in a tub, which Shinichi recognised as the bath helper robot. "Say, you're both scientists, right?" Kid said, glancing over his shoulder at the mismatched pair. "Got any ideas for how this switch could have been conducted using a scientific method?"

Shinichi stared curiously at Haibara and the professor. He was just as eager to hear their answer. Anything had to be better than the magic talismans and elixirs theory, which was the only lead Shinichi and Kid had at the moment.

The professor made a thoughtful noise and tilted his head to the side, thinking deeply. "I don't know if I've ever come across something like this." He glanced down at the small girl sitting next to him. "Ai-kun? Do you have any ideas?"

"There was an American scientist who transplanted the head of a monkey onto another monkey's body back in the 1970s to see if it would survive the switch," Haibara said in a matter of fact voice.

Shinichi and Kid both paled. That was a mildly disgusting, to say the least.

"Ah, you must be talking about Doctor White," Professor Agasa said with a nod. "I believe some Japanese scientists tried similar experiments with rats."

Kid placed a hand over his neck, as if to ward off an invisible scalpel. "I don't even want to think about that being a possibility," he said, looking a bit green.

"I don't think you have to worry," Haibara said, and her mouth twitched into the smallest of smiles. "Your head is obviously still attached to your own body, and there is no sign of surgery being performed."

"That's true," Shinichi said, pressing his thumb to his chin in thought. "The only thing that seems to have been switched is our consciousness—or souls, if you want to get theological."

"Right," Haibara agreed. "If someone had performed a brain transplant, there would be obvious signs. Besides, you calculated that the time in which you both passed out on the roof and then woke up was between five to ten minutes. That doesn't give nearly enough time for someone to conduct a body switch of such complexity using known scientific means."

Kid made a humming sound in the back of his throat. "I see. So, you're saying there is no real way that science could explain our switch?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Theoretically, anything is possible if the right atoms and chemical bonds are manipulated. I created a drug that can de-age people on the rare chance it doesn't kill them, which most would consider an improbable invention better suited to the realm of science fiction. If there is a way to switch two people's bodies without physically transplanting anything, it will not be something you can find using a simple internet search."

Shinichi's brow creased. That was definitely true. Besides, even if such a fantastical invention did exist, it still didn't explain why the inventor would have made Shinichi and Kid switch bodies on that rooftop, let alone had managed to do so without leaving a trace. No, the science route did not make sense. Shinichi was reluctant to admit it, but his detective instincts were telling him that magic was the answer. Impossible as it seemed, and as much as it went against the fibre of his logic-driven mind to even believe in magic, that elusive power could explain away every hole in their science theories. Magic did not need to leave traces or have a presence. Magic did not need to have a reason. Magic simply was; Shinichi and Kid just had to figure out the trigger.

Judging from Kid's resigned expression, it seemed that the thief had come to the same conclusion. "Well, I guess it's back to figuring out if an elixir or magic talisman was used," he said, resuming his seat next to Shinichi.

Kid's very posture seemed to sigh, as if the thought of having to dig deeper into the occult made something in him wither. Perhaps he was thinking of the unnamed female who had tried to kill him; the one who Kid had hinted had ties to magic. Perhaps he was just frustrated that they were still no closer to getting their own bodies back. Shinichi didn't know. However, Kid's words had given him an idea.

"Wait, you might actually be able to help us," Shinichi said, leaning towards Haibara. "It hasn't quite been twenty-four hours since we first switched bodies. If some kind of chemical mixture or elixir was used to force us to switch, you should be able to find traces of it within our bodies, right?"

"Theoretically, yes," she admitted. "I'd need blood and urine samples, but I could do it. I have all the equipment here."

Kid held his hands up in a warding gesture. "Oi, oi. No one said anything about blood samples."

Haibara raised her eyebrow at the thief. "Scared of a little needle?"

"Hardly," Kid said, waving off the taunt. "I just make it a point not to give people samples of my blood. Doesn't exactly bode well for a phantom thief."

Haibara rolled her eyes. It was clear that she was not impressed with his argument. Not that Kid cared. He refused to budge on the matter, saying that he had to draw the line somewhere, and he was not going to let some detective's scientist friends carry around tubes of his blood. They'd just have to find another way to test if there were any foreign chemicals in his body's system.

"You can trust Haibara and Professor Agasa," Shinichi tried to reassure the smaller boy. "I swear they won't do anything with the blood that could put your identity in danger."

Kid gave a tight-lipped smile. "That may be, but the answer is still no."

Shinichi frowned as he held the other boy's gaze. Kid's tone and expression were pleasant enough, but his chin had taken on a stubborn tilt. It was obvious that he would not be persuaded. Not even an inch. Truthfully, Shinichi was a little surprised. There had been a tentative trust building between the two boys, but it seemed that adding Haibara and the professor to the mix—along with a blood sample request—was demanding too much from the thief. Kid was not going to cooperate this time.

Some of Shinichi's disappointment must have shown in his expression, for the next second a playing card hit him square in the forehead.

"Stop looking so glum, detective-kun," Kid scolded, even as he twirled another card between his fingers. "I only said that I wouldn't let you take blood from _my_ body. Your scientist friends should be able to get what they need from this shrunken form, yes?"

Shinichi glanced questioningly at Haibara, who nodded.

"Then it's settled," Kid said, making the card in his hand disappear to wherever he had got it in the first place. He turned to Haibara with a grin. "I guess I'll be your guinea pig tonight."

Haibara gave him a blank stare that told all too well what she thought of his attempts to flirt. "Follow me," she said coolly.

She headed down the stairs that led to the laboratory, hands clasped behind her back. Kid just shrugged and followed, leaving Shinichi and the professor to sort out the more mundane concerns, such as where the boys would be sleeping for the night. By the time Shinichi came to join the two in the laboratory, Haibara was removing the needle from Kid's arm and pressing a cotton pad onto the spot to stem the flow of blood. She then bustled about the desk with the tubes she had filled with bright crimson, already getting started on testing for foreign traces.

"I'm going to need a urine sample from you as well, Kudo-kun," Haibara said without raising her head from the microscope. "That way I can compare the two. There's a container over there that you can use." She waved her hand towards the shelf where a bunch of specimen bottles had been stacked. "Try not to take as long as this idiot."

Kid relaxed against his chair. "Hey, I might be a magician, but that doesn't mean I can piss on command."

"Clearly."

Shinichi blinked and just stared at the two for a moment. "You know what, I don't even want to know," he said, shaking his head.

"Probably for the best," Kid admitted.

Shinichi snatched one of the specimen bottles from the shelf and then closed himself in the adjoining storage room. He could still hear Kid and Haibara talking, which was a bit distracting. Still, Haibara only demanded to know why he was taking so long once before he was joining them again. She accepted the bottle with barely a glance and then ordered them both to go away so she could conduct the tests without interruption.

"Let us know if you find anything," Shinichi said.

"Obviously," she said at her driest.

Right.

Kid and Shinichi exchanged a glance that agreed they should leave quickly. Anything to get away from the scientist whose comments had taken on an acerbic tone. However, Shinichi had only taken a few steps up the staircase when Haibara spoke again.

"Oh, and Kudo-kun."

Shinichi paused and glanced over his shoulder at the girl.

"Don't think I haven't noticed that you're still hiding something from me." She raised her head to look at him, turning up her X-Ray Glare of Evil to the max. "I hope you haven't done anything stupid while you've been disguised as your teenage self."

The colour drained from his cheeks. "Uh—"

Kid glanced between the two with his Cheshire grin. "Oh, this is going to be good," he commented, as if he were about to sit down to an exciting baseball match.

Haibara's eyebrow rose. "Really?" She stared hard at Shinichi. "Sounds like you _did_ do something."

"What?" Shinichi exclaimed. "No!"

"Liar," Kid sing-songed from his corner.

Shinichi aimed a glare at the smaller boy. It seemed that the thief felt enough gratitude for the fish incident not to spell it outright that Shinichi had kissed Ran, but he wasn't against tossing out hints for Haibara either. Shinichi supposed that it wasn't a huge surprise. Kid had never been able to resist stirring up trouble, and his lecture had been very thorough in expressing what he had thought of that kiss.

Yeah, Kid was definitely not letting Shinichi off the hook that easily.

Shinichi tugged at his collar and looked anywhere but at the small girl staring at him through penetrating blue eyes. Damn Haibara and her creepy sixth sense. In fact, damn them all. He shouldn't have to share the details of his love life with people.

 _Except you're not currently in your own body,_ his more logical side pointed out, _and kissing Ran is only going to make it more complicated for everyone when you switch back to being Conan._

Shinichi sighed and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I kissed Ran."

The statement hung between them for a moment.

"Idiot," Haibara said softly.

He winced and lowered his gaze. "I know."

And he really did. Much as he had loved how it had felt to kiss Ran—to be close to her in the way he had yearned to for so long—he knew that it had not been his smartest moment. There was no permanent cure. He wasn't even in his body. Plus, he had known that Haibara would tear him to shreds. Which she did. Like Kid, Haibara did not raise her voice. She was just very cold and precise with her observations, digging barbs of logic into him like tiny blades. By the end of the lecture, he felt small, stupid and unhappy.

Shinichi wondered if he would ever be able to retrieve his dignity from where it lay in tatters on the floor.

Kid chose that moment to jump back into the fray. "Ah, don't be too harsh on him, Haibara-san," he said, leaning against the wall with a lazy grin. "Detective-kun can't help it he has such terrible impulse control issues."

Shinichi rolled an exasperated eye at Kid. "You're not helping."

"Hey, I'm just making an observation," Kid said, holding his hands up in an appeasing gesture.

"Besides, he's right," Haibara said from where she had gone back to bending over the desk with the specimen bottles. "You wouldn't get into half the trouble that you do if you just showed some restraint."

Shinichi folded his arms across his chest. "I can show restraint."

Haibara and Kid let out identical snorts of disbelief. Shinichi felt his cheeks warm.

"What?" he demanded. "I can."

"Who was it that got himself drugged because he decided it would be a good idea to follow the men in black?" Haibara said coolly.

"Who was it who got himself thrown out of a plane because he just had to play detective?" Kid chimed in.

"Not to mention the time you almost got yourself stranded in England because you had to take your last antidote pill after you almost let Mouri-san discover your identity," Haibara stated.

"And the time—"

"Okay, okay!" Shinichi cut in, colour staining his cheeks. "So I can be a little impulsive."

Another collective snort. Shinichi narrowed his eyes in irritation. Let it be known that being the victim of the Kid and Haibara tag-team was not fun.

"Look," Kid said, taking pity on the taller boy, "all we're saying is that you have a habit of rushing headlong into trouble."

"And getting involved romantically with Mouri-san right now would be trouble," Haibara said bluntly.

Shinichi glowered at the two for a moment and then sighed. "Fine," he said in a long-suffering voice, "I will try to show more restraint."

"Not 'try'," Kid said, pushing away from the wall and jabbing a finger in Shinichi's chest. "You _will_ show more restraint, detective-kun. At least when it comes to Ran-chan. I meant what I said. No home-runs for you while you're in my body."

Shinichi blushed and spluttered something about how he had only kissed Ran; it wasn't like they had been about to have sex.

Kid raised his eyebrow. "Detective-kun, I saw the way you two were kissing each other. There was tongue involved."

Shinichi's blush darkened to a deep plum.

"That's moving pretty quickly for a first kiss." Kid continued flatly. "Can you honestly tell me that you had everything under control?"

Shinichi fidgeted with his sleeve and looked the other way. Okay, so maybe things had got a little heated during that kiss. Just a little. His instincts had sort of taken over, and Ran had seemed to enjoy it, and—

" _Detective-kun can't help it he has such terrible impulse control issues."_

Shinichi scowled. Damn it. Why did that thief have to be right?

Haibara smothered a yawn behind her hand. "Well, if you two have finished discussing the soap opera of Beika that is Kudo-kun's love life, perhaps you can leave now so I can finish these tests in peace."

Neither boy was foolish enough to respond. Instead, the quickly took their leave of the scientist and went to join the professor back upstairs. Shinichi didn't say much as he settled back on the sofa. Not even when he was handed a cup of coffee—black, as the professor knew he liked it—and began sipping on the drink in an absent manner. When Professor Agasa asked what was wrong, Kid laughed and said that Shinichi was probably sulking.

"He got scolded by Haibara-san," Kid said with a bit too much glee.

Shinichi shot a narrow-eyed look at the thief, but he didn't bother to respond. Instead, he just listened as Kid and the professor began discussing some of the inventions that were scattered around the house. It seemed that Kid was interested in that kind of thing. Not that Shinichi cared about what the thief liked in that moment. His pride had been wounded and, yes, he was sulking.

Twenty-four hours had now passed since the two boys had switched. Shinichi really didn't want to spend another day being stuck in Kaitou Kid's body. He hoped that Haibara could help them figure out some kind of solution. More than that, he really hoped that he would be able to find a tactful way to tell Ran they couldn't do, well, whatever it was they had started outside her bedroom.

Shinichi sighed and ran his hands through his hair. This was such a mess.

* * *

Phew. Finally got the chapter finished.

Yes, the scientist mentioned is a real person and those were real experiments conducted on rats and monkeys. Gross and disturbing, but there you have it. I figured it was worth researching to see if science had attempted to create a body switch. Lucky for Kid and Shinichi that I'm taking the magic route in this story. Cause ew.

As usual, reviews are appreciated. Until next time!


	7. Bitter and Sweet

ごめん！Life has been busy. I really have no other excuse for the delay.

* * *

 **Bitter and Sweet**

Shinichi woke up to the sound of something buzzing near his ear. He groaned and fumbled for the culprit, closing his fingers around smooth edges and metal. It was his cell phone. Still with his eyes shut, he unlocked the screen and answered the call.

"Moshi, moshi," he said in a voice husky with sleep.

There was a slight pause. "Er, Kudo?"

Osaka-ben. Called him "Kudo". That could only be one person.

"Hattori." Shinichi rubbed a hand over his face. "What do you want?"

Hattori laughed. "Someone is grumpy."

An even longer pause.

"I'm hanging up," Shinichi said flatly.

"Ah, wait a moment, Kudo."

Shinichi sighed and threw his arm over his eyes to block out the light seeping through the blinds. "What? This had better be important, Hattori."

He had barely got any sleep last night. He was not in the mood to entertain the Osakan detective—especially since Hattori had interrupted him from a rather, uh, risqué dream involving a scantily clad Ran and an onsen. The dream had just been getting to the good bits when that damned phone had started vibrating. Shinichi was not impressed. Neither were his nether regions, for that matter. He had discovered that being back in a teenage body had made certain parts of his anatomy a lot more reactive. Hence, his current grumpiness.

Hattori made a thoughtful sound. "You know, this was bothering me before, but why are you talking to me through your bowtie?"

"What?" Shinichi rubbed at his eyes, conscious of how sluggish his brain felt. It was difficult to keep up with the conversation.

"Well, you normally sound all kiddyish. Now you just sound like, well, you."

Shinichi blinked a few times. Then he realised why Heiji was confused. It seemed that he had answered his Conan phone as himself. Awkward. He made a mental note not to repeat that mistake, and then he explained that he'd accidentally taken an antidote pill last night, so he was still in his teenage body. The lie was flimsy at best, but Hattori clearly had other matters on his mind, for he chose not to press the issue.

"Anyway," Hattori said, and Shinichi could almost imagine him putting on his 'I'm a Serious Detective' expression. "I got this weird letter in the mail, and—"

"Pass."

Hattori got a bit defensive. "You haven't even heard what I was going to say."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I can guess. You got a cryptic letter from someone who has a case for you. They've probably enclosed the money with the letter, so you feel obliged to go return it to them, since you prefer to work for free. You've called me, because the case is located in some rural area and you wanted to know if I would go with you, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, I can't," Shinichi said bluntly. He rolled over on the futon and glanced at Kid, who still appeared to be asleep. "I've got my own case I'm dealing with right now."

Hattori used all of his persuasive powers to change Shinichi's mind, but he had might as well been talking to a wall. Shinichi was not budging.

"I'm going back to sleep now," Shinichi said, talking over the Osakan.

"Oi, Kudo—"

Shinichi hung up. He sighed and pushed the phone away from him, then closed his eyes. An itch started on the arch of his foot. He made a grumbly sound and rolled over, scratching at the spot with his toe. No use. His body was becoming more and more restless. The light seeping through the blinds kept making orange blurs against his closed eyelids, as if the sun was trying to peel them back to say "HEY, WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING!" Shinichi didn't think much of the sun in that moment.

After several more minutes of inexplicable itches and lots of tossing and turning, Shinichi gave up in disgust. "Alright, I'm up!" he declared to no one in particular.

There was a soft groan from the other side of the room. Shinichi glanced over to see Kid tumble out of his futon like a dazed bear just emerging from hibernation. The smaller boy's hair was sticking up all over the place, and he looked absurdly young without his glasses. It was kind of surreal for Shinichi, knowing that must be what he looked like to people when he was "Conan". His first grader self really was so tiny.

Kid opened his mouth in a jaw-cracking yawn. "W-what time—" another yawn "—is it?"

Shinichi glanced at his phone. "Just coming up to eight 'o clock," he said.

Kid scrunched his nose. "Why do you insist on waking me up at ungodly hours?"

"I never woke you up."

The thief was not convinced. He made frowny faces and grumbled something about "annoying detectives" and how "normal people" didn't get up at ridiculous hours on weekends when there was no need. Normal people chose to catch up on much-needed sleep and let other people sleep as well. Because they were normal.

"Tell that Hattori," Shinichi said. "He's the one who woke me up. Besides, eight 'o clock isn't that early."

Kid just gave him a flat stare. It was the kind of stare that said "screw you and your Morning Person logic" with a double dose of attitude. It was also very unlike Kid. Shinichi realised that he was getting a rare glimpse into the real boy behind the top hat and monocle. Kaitou Kid was always composed and charming; this boy was decidedly not.

Was it weird that Shinichi was kind of … flattered? Kid had lowered his mask for him, albeit just to be an unpleasant grump, but still. It was kind of gratifying that Kid no longer felt the need to maintain an act around him all the time. Like a dysfunctional declaration of trust.

"I need coffee," Kid muttered.

Shinichi thought that this sounded like a brilliant idea—he was still struggling to wake up himself—so the two boys made their way to the kitchen where they found the professor reading the newspaper. Agasa waved his toast at them in greeting and wished them both a good morning. He got two noncommittal grunts for his efforts. It was clear that both boys were only thinking of getting caffeine into their system. Lots and lots of caffeine.

By the time Haibara emerged from the lab, Shinichi and Kid were sitting opposite each other with steaming cups of caffeinated goodness. Haibara poured herself a cup and then joined them at the table, smothering a yawn as she took a seat next to the professor. There were a few mumbled good mornings, but no one seemed to be in a talkative mood. Aside from Agasa, of course. The professor even made a lame pun about how he was naturally a morning person because his name was full of suns.

Shinichi just groaned. He did not have enough coffee in him to stomach morning puns, even if the comment was a reference to the hiragana code he had cracked while at Agasa Kurisuke's house. Kid seemed just as unimpressed. The thief had made a valiant attempt to reconstruct his air of good-humoured unflappability, but he still looked like a bear who had come out of hibernation—not to mention kept pulling unhappy faces at his coffee. Shinichi could understand. There was something off about the taste of his drink as well. Come to think of it, he'd noticed a similar issue last night, as if the black coffee he loved had become a nasty concoction of blegh and bitterness.

The two boys took a sip of their drinks and then pulled identical expressions of distaste. Yes, there was definitely something wrong with the coffee. Shinichi then did something he never thought he would do: he added a tiny bit of sweetener to his drink. Kid, meanwhile, didn't even bother to try remedy whatever was troubling his taste buds; he just held his cup towards Shinichi.

"Trade," he ordered.

Shinichi blinked. "What?"

"I can't drink this," Kid explained with a hint of frustration. "Your bitter-loving taste buds have messed up everything. So, let's trade."

Haibara covered a smile with her hand. "I wondered why Kudo-kun was adding sweetener to his coffee. It seemed so unlike him."

Shinichi resisted the urge to smack his palm against his forehead. Of course! It all made sense now. The chocolate milk tea, the excessive amount of sweetener; Kid had a sweet tooth. Now that Shinichi was in Kid's body, everything tasted far too bitter. The same thing had probably happened to Kid, except in reverse.

"Trade," Shinichi agreed.

He swapped cups with Kid and then took an experimental sip. A sigh escaped his lips. That was so much better. Kid seemed just as happy and was drinking his marginally sweetened coffee with gusto. After a while, the flow of conversation picked up at the table and the two boys were functional enough to ask Haibara how the rest of the tests had gone. They had stayed awake long enough last night to hear that the first batch had come back with nothing, but then Shinichi had fallen asleep and that had been the end of that. He still couldn't remember how he had got into bed, but that was neither here nor there. What mattered was whether Haibara had found any traces of foreign chemicals or elixirs in their systems.

"Well?" he prompted the scientist.

A little wrinkle formed on her forehead. "I couldn't find anything," she said with a shrug. "Your urine samples came up clean, and the only thing abnormal about the blood sample was the traces of Apoptoxin, which we already know about."

Shinichi sighed and placed his head in his hands. There really were no physical leads then. It looked like it was back to the occult drawing board. This was not going to be fun. He'd never had to solve a case with no solid evidence before, but he was sure that he and Kid would figure out something. It wasn't like they had a choice.

"Well, thanks for trying," Shinichi said, lowering his hands and offering Haibara a tired smile. He knew how much sleep she had sacrificed to do those tests.

"Chanel," Haibara said coolly. When Shinichi just blinked at her, she elaborated. "I'll accept Chanel's latest purse as payment."

Shinichi's mouth thinned into a straight line. Typical Haibara. She thought she was so funny with her outrageous fashion demands.

Kid, meanwhile, had gone quiet. The little wrinkle seemed to be contagious, because it was marring his brow as well. Shinichi wondered what Kid was thinking. The thief had placed his empty cup of coffee on the table and was now running his finger around the rim in an absent way, even as the corners of his mouth tilted downwards. It was obvious that he was deep in thought.

"Oi," Shinichi said, nudging the boy with his foot. "Did you think of something that might help?"

Kid blinked and visibly shook off whatever thoughts had been troubling him. "Not really."

Now it was Shinichi's turn to don the little wrinkle. "This isn't about that female you mentioned yesterday, is it? The one who has some connection to magic."

Kid always got a bit quiet and broody whenever the subject of real magic was broached. It was something that Shinichi had noticed. He'd come to assume it was because of the nameless female who Kid had admitted had tried to kill him. Near-death experiences tended to have that effect on a person; Shinichi should know.

Haibara and Agasa glanced at the thief in curiosity, perhaps also wondering who this "female" was that knew about magic. However, Kid just shook his head and said it had nothing to do with that person. _That person_ was better left forgotten, if Shinichi didn't want to end up controlled like a puppet or getting stabbed with crazy voodoo magic.

"You're kidding, right?" Shinichi said, eyes widening.

"I wish I was," Kid said wryly. "She can never make up her mind whether she wants to kill me or enslave me as her lover." He shrugged, and a ghost of his trademark grin surfaced. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not in a rush to introduce the two of you—especially while you're in my body."

Shinichi blinked a few times. Wow. Kid was actually serious.

"You mean that person can perform real magic?" Agasa asked in disbelief.

Kid nodded. "She's a witch. I didn't believe it myself at first, but it's kind of hard to dismiss the idea as nonsense when you start bleeding from invisible wounds or get trapped inside a magic circle." He shrugged again. "Well, I'll admit that she can be helpful, but that doesn't change the fact that she is dangerous. Going to her is an absolute last resort, got it?"

Shinichi nodded. He perceived that Kid had only been forthright with him about the witch because he wanted to impress upon Shinichi that this was a Pandora's Box they did not want to open. Not unless they really, really had no other choice. Shinichi could respect that, especially since he suspected that Kid knew making contact with the witch would probably reveal his civilian identity. That was a big no-no in the thief's books.

"So, what were you thinking about?" Shinichi asked, deciding to get back to the matter at hand. "You looked pretty deep in thought."

Kid waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "It really was nothing. Call it the frustration of knowing I have to spend another day in your scrawny body."

It was a half-truth, and one that Shinichi was curious to uncover. The problem was Kid. Shinichi knew that smooth, faintly antagonising manner. The thief had might as well have said that his lips were sealed and that Shinichi was wasting his time now by asking. Poker face was back, and that meant that sharing time was over.

Still, there was something bothering the thief. Shinichi decided he would try get to the bottom of the matter once they were alone. It wasn't that he was worried or anything. Really. It was just because he and Kid were supposed to be working together to get their bodies back, and he couldn't do that if the thief was going to start getting all distracted or poker-faced about everything. That, and Shinichi was just a little annoyed that Kid kept dangling information at him like some man leading a horse with a carrot; he'd get so close to the truth, and then the carrot would be snatched away again. It was frustrating. He was a detective, okay. He didn't like having questions left half-unanswered.

So it was that Shinichi decided he would solve the mystery of Kaitou Kid's uncharacteristic broodiness. At the very least, it had to be more solvable than their current predicament. His pride as a detective had already suffered enough. He needed a win today.

 **oOo**

After some debate about what would be the best course of action, the two boys had found themselves at the Tokyo Metropolitan Library. Piles and piles of books on magic and folklore littered their table, almost hiding each other from view. Shinichi flicked through pages of intricate diagrams and kanji with record speed. He could hear Kid matching him page for page. It was just another reminder of how similar they were. Their looks, their intelligence, and maybe even their method of dealing with problematic situations.

Shinichi had tried to glean some answers out of Kid, but the thief had clammed up quicker than a hermit crab retreating into its shell. In other words, Kid had reverted to his smiling, good-humoured self: making light remarks here and there, throwing in a bit of teasing. It was an obvious act, and it annoyed Shinichi immensely. However, it also made the detective reflect on his own behaviour. Shinichi knew that he had always preferred to keep his burdens to himself, only requesting help when needed. The way he handled the Black Organisation was a case in point. He suspected that Kid was much the same.

Somehow, that just annoyed him even more.

The thief closed the book he had been glancing through and reached for another on the pile. Shinichi sighed and resumed his own reading about ancient talismans. Something buzzed loudly. He groaned, recognising the sound, and reached for his phone.

"If that's Hattori again," he muttered, and then blinked. Wait a minute, his phone wasn't even vibrating.

Kid cursed softly. Shinichi turned to see the boy holding a cell phone and staring transfixed at whatever name was being shown on the caller display. The phone kept buzzing; Kid made no move to answer.

"You gonna get that?" Shinichi asked.

Kid snapped out of his trance and pushed the button to reject the call. He placed the phone aside and began scanning the pages of the book he had grabbed. Shinichi was shamelessly curious. The phone buzzed several more times, but whoever had called must have realised that Kid was not going to answer and was now hounding him with mails.

"Sounds like someone really wants to talk to you," Shinichi observed.

Kid made a noncommittal grunt.

"You know, you could just answer it."

"What, and have you listen in on the conversation again?" Kid responded, giving him another of those flat stares.

Ah, right. Kid probably wasn't going to trust him around phones for a while.

"I did tell you everything I overhead," Shinichi pointed out. "I promise I won't eavesdrop this time." Probably. Okay, he would try really hard not to.

Kid must not have been convinced, because his expression didn't change. Unfortunately, the phone got even more frequent with its buzzing alerts. It was like a repetitive drone that commanded "TALK TO ME! TALK TO ME!" with every message. When the person switched to calling again, Kid made a frustrated sound and picked up the phone. He pressed his finger on the "Off" button, only to hesitate.

"Just answer it," Shinichi said, and an understanding glint entered his eyes. "That person means a lot to you, right?"

All of the fight seemed to drain out of Kid. His shoulders slumped and a deep breath escaped his lips. "Fine," he said. "She won't leave me alone anyway if I don't answer, but you sit right there where I can see you." He cast an exasperated glance at Shinichi. "I don't trust you or those sneaky listening devices of yours one bit."

Shinichi had no response to that. He knew he probably would have been tempted had Kid made him leave.

Kid pushed the button to accept the call and then whipped out the bowtie from his pocket. "Yo, Aoko," he said in his teenage voice.

" _BAKA_!"

The screech was so loud that even Shinichi heard it. Kid winced and immediately began to appease the person named Aoko. Shinichi had to admit that it was entertaining to watch. He'd never heard the thief apologise so much.

"Look, Aoko, this really isn't a good time," Kid said in a vain attempt to end the conversation. "I'll call you back la—"

She must have started ranting again, because the thief sighed and rolled his eyes skyward. He tried to reason with her some more, but it was obvious that his patience was thinning.

"Ahoko!" Kid snapped. "I already explained it all in the message I sent you. Geez, it's not like I haven't gone away without telling you before. Why are you getting so upset now?"

There was a pause as he listened to her response. Kid's eyes widened and a faint splotch of colour spread across his cheeks.

"What?" he said in confusion. "I said I would go to Tropical Land with you today? Are you sure?"

Another shriek. Kid winced and actually held the phone away from his ear. That girl had some lungs. Shinichi had to admit that he was impressed. And very entertained.

"Ah, sorry, Aoko," Kid said soothingly, once he judged it safe enough to get close to the phone again. "I was probably distracted when you asked me that. I'll make it up to you when I get home, okay?"

Another pause.

Kid smiled. "Have I ever let you down before?"

The girl said something that must have amused Kid, because his smile widened a fraction.

"Idiot," he responded, though his tone could only be described as affectionate. "I still got there in the end, didn't I?"

Shinichi frowned as he watched Kid listen to Aoko's response. Once again, he felt a strange sense of surrealism. He could have been watching himself in his miniaturised form talking to Ran. It was bizarre, but it also gave him an idea as to why the thief might have been a bit short-tempered and quiet today. Kid had built masks upon masks to protect his identity. That had to get exhausting after a while, as Shinichi knew from his own experience as Edogawa Conan. He could see how much of a relief it was for the thief to just be himself and reconnect with his normal life, even if it was only over the phone.

Just another thing they had in common.

"Then it's a promise," Kid said, quite oblivious to the other boy's thoughts. "I'll see you when I get back, Aoko." He hung up and then let out another breath, though his smile lingered.

Shinichi quirked an eyebrow. "So," he said, dragging out the vowel. "Aoko, huh?"

Kid pulled a face. "Shut up."

Shinichi laughed and ducked the pen that was tossed at him. It felt good to fall back into their usual teasing routine, though this time without the weird undercurrent of falseness that had been present earlier. Kid was himself again, and Shinichi couldn't help but hope it stayed that way.

He kind of enjoyed being around the real boy behind the monocle. Just a little.

* * *

Lovely readers, you have made it to the end of 'Bitter and Sweet'!

All the praise goes to Shana-Fujioka, who pointed out that Shinichi probably wouldn't enjoy bitter drinks (or Kid sweet) now that they have switched bodies. Taste, after all, is mostly a physical thing, and being in a different body means that their respective taste buds would not be attuned to what they would normally like. Thus, you got the "morning coffee scene", which sought to remedy this lapse. The same could probably be said for their 'waking up' habits, but it didn't seem like Shinichi was that much of a morning person in the manga/anime anyway, so I haven't bothered to illustrate those differences too much.

Also, some of you may be wondering why I chose not to write Heiji's Osaka-ben into the dialogue. Aside from having a strong loathing for writing/reading dialects (if any of you have read _Wuthering Heights_ , you will understand what I mean when I say Joseph is the perfect example of why sometimes it is better just to say "this character has a thick Yorkshire accent"). But I digress. Mostly, I just felt that writing Heiji's accent was a bit counterproductive. Put simply, the characters speak Japanese in the anime, not English. I know some people have interpreted Osaka-ben into romaji, but that doesn't work for me (I'm pedantic like that).

So yeah, no "ya" and "ta" to be found here. You'll just have to imagine what Heiji (or any other Osakan person) would sound like when they speak. ;)


	8. The Red Oni of Uji: Prologue

So, yeah, it's been a while. Got caught up with real life stuff. Anyway, I'm back! Huzzah!

Just a word of warning: there will be major spoilers in here for those who haven't got past the Scarlet Arc (and a teeny reference to manga chapter 936, though I wouldn't count that one as a spoiler). But really, anyone who hasn't got that far is living a blasphemous life. Go watch/read now, you slackers! :P

* * *

 **The Red Oni of Uji: Prologue**

Shinichi smothered a yawn and glanced over the scrawl of notes scattered in front of him. The kanji 魔法 danced before his eyes on every scrap of paper, blurring and taunting like a shifting mirage. Magic had forced him to switch bodies with Kid. Magic was the answer to solving all of their problems. But magic was turning out to be a real tease. Hours of research at the Tokyo Metropolitan Library had resulted in nothing but flimsy theories that led nowhere, not to mention a pounding headache.

"Azusa-san won't have anywhere to put your food if you don't move those papers," Kid observed.

The smaller boy sat opposite Shinichi, resting his chin on his palm and sipping on an iced coffee. After being stuck at the library for so long, the boys had decided to take a break and get some lunch at Café Poirot before returning to the agency. Light music played in the background of the cafe, and the place hummed with conversation from the other customers. All in all, it was a nice atmosphere, and probably would have been relaxing had Shinichi not been so frustrated by the lack of progress he was making.

"I'll move it soon," Shinichi muttered a bit absently. "I'm just—"

"Conan-kun?"

Both boys raised their heads. Amuro Tooru stood with one hand resting on the back of Kid's chair, smiling down at the child he thought was Edogawa Conan. Kid's eyes widened a fraction, and he shot Shinichi a questioning glance. Right. Kid had no idea that Amuro was actually an undercover agent for the Japanese secret police. All Kid knew was that Amuro, otherwise known as Bourbon, was the "bad guy" he'd encountered on the Mystery Train while disguised as Sherry.

"Who's your friend?" Amuro asked, extending his smile to Shinichi.

This was not good. In fact, Shinichi could have bashed his own head against the table. He'd been so caught up with the body switching case that he'd forgot to consider how problematic it would be to meet Amuro while he and Kid were in their current state. Well, nothing for it now. They'd just have to roll with it.

The teen plastered a smile on his face, even as he collected his notes together so that Amuro could not read what was on the papers. "Nice to meet you," he said, bowing his head in greeting. "I'm Kudo Shinichi."

Recognition flickered in Amuro's blue eyes. "Ah, Ran-san's boyfriend."

Shinichi choked on his own phlegm. Of all the responses, that was not the one he'd been expecting. "Excuse me?" he managed to splutter.

Amuro scratched his chin. "You're not? Strange, I thought I heard Sera-san refer to you as that."

Shinichi rubbed a hand over his face. Right. That mess with the girl band. "Ran and I are just—"

He broke off, wondering why the heck he was even explaining his relationship status to someone who should have been a stranger to his teenage self. A loud, slurping noise broke the awkward pause. Kid had gone back to sucking iced coffee through his straw. The sound was enough to make Amuro realise his own faux pas, and he held his hands up in an apologetic gesture.

"Ah, you don't have to explain," Amuro said, flashing his most charming smile. "I shouldn't have pried."

Shinichi shook his head. "It's fine. Conan-kun told me that you're Kogoro-san's assistant, so I'm sure you spend a lot of time around the Mouris. It's only natural to be curious."

"I guess," Amuro said with a laugh, rubbing the base of his neck.

Kid stirred his straw around his cup, watching the blond from under veiled lashes. He seemed to come to a decision, because he plastered on a smile. "So, Amuro-san, what was it that you wanted?"

"Nothing, really," Amuro admitted. "I just saw you here with Kudo-san and thought I'd stop to see how you are."

Kid offered a suitable response, keeping a nice balance between Conan's childlike persona and the grounded intelligence that Amuro had come to expect from the boy. Shinichi had to admit that he was impressed. Just from the short time Amuro had spent at their table, Kid had managed to piece together that "Conan" and Amuro had an unspoken understanding with each other and that there was no need to crank up the kiddy act. No wonder Kid was so good at impersonating people. He seemed to have a knack for gauging relationships and determining how his disguised persona would behave. It was actually kind of alarming, if Shinichi were to be honest. The only other person he had met who could do something similar was Vermouth.

"Well, I had better get ready for my shift," Amuro said, casting a guilty glance at his watch. He nodded to the teen. "It was nice to meet you, Kudo-san. I hope we get a chance to speak again soon. You're quite a famous detective in these parts; I'd love to hear about some of your cases."

Shinichi murmured a noncommittal answer and watched the blond leave through the door to the kitchen area. A slight crease formed on his brow.

"Alright," Kid said, pointing his straw at Shinichi. "Explain what just happened. Last I checked Blond Detective-San was one of the bad guys you were trying to avoid. What's he doing working at Café Poirot? And right underneath where you live, might I add."

Shinichi sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "It's a long story. Plus, it's not really my secret to tell."

Kid pursed his lips. "Is he dangerous?"

"Not exactly." Shinichi steepled his fingers together. "How should I put this? He's not really a bad guy, but I still need to be on my guard around him. It might even have been a good thing that we all met today, now that I think about it."

"Oh?"

"I've got a feeling that Amuro-san knows I'm the real Sleeping Kogoro," Shinichi explained. "At least now, after seeing the two of us together, he'll have no reason to suspect that Kudo Shinichi and Edogawa Conan is the same person."

The thief made a humming sound at the back of his throat. "You know, detective-kun, you're really not good at keeping under the radar. Is there anyone who doesn't know your secret?"

"Shut up," Shinichi muttered, slumping against his seat.

"Just saying," Kid said with a shrug. "It took one meeting to figure out you weren't an ordinary first grader, and not much more to learn you were Kudo Shinichi." He shook his head and made a tsking sound. "Makes me wonder if you're even trying."

"That was pure luck, and you know it," Shinichi retorted. "If you hadn't been snooping around that bathroom, you wouldn't have overheard anything."

Kid waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "I don't think it would have made a difference in the long-run. You make people curious; that's your problem."

Shinichi folded his arms across his chest. "Well, excuse me for not being a perfect actor. It does get tiring pretending to be a first grader, you know; I have been living like this for almost a year now." Even if it sometimes felt like twenty. "Besides," he added, "are you telling me that there is no one who has been suspicious of you before?"

"A few," Kid admitted. "At least when I first started out, but since one of them only got information on me by using witchcraft, I don't think she counts. All the others can't prove a thing, so—" he folded his arms behind his head, leaning back against the seat in a satisfied way "—I guess I win."

"I didn't realise this was a competition," Shinichi said dryly.

Kid grinned. "Well, if it was, you'd lose."

"You're so annoying," Shinichi muttered. "Why are we even talking about this?"

"Because Amuro-san is snooping, and you have impulse control issues," Kid said helpfully.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Keep talking like that and I'll go deduce _your_ identity. That'll shut you up."

Kid did the whole "I'm so scared" gesture with his hands. "No need to get your panties in a twist, detective-kun. Besides, even if you do figure out my identity now, it'll be a cheap victory on your part, and you know it."

That was true. Switching bodies with Kid had given him an unfair advantage. He not only had unlimited access to the thief, but also (through the simple fact of being the one currently inhabiting Kid's body) had discovered that the two of them were almost identical in appearance. It wouldn't be too hard to figure out the rest. That was probably why Shinichi hadn't bothered; it wasn't as fun when there was no challenge. Plus, he really didn't want to break the tentative trust between them, even if he was curious to know more about the other boy.

"Whatever," Shinichi said. "Let me see the notes you took at the library again. I want to check something."

"That can wait. Azusa-san is coming with our food."

And indeed she was. The pretty waitress stayed to chat with the boys for a bit before moving on to wait on the other customers. Shinichi forgot all about his desire to see Kid's notes as he tucked into his omelette rice. He hadn't realised the extent of his hunger until his first bite. All that researching had worked up an appetite.

Something vibrated in his pocket. Shinichi frowned and pulled out the phone he kept for Conan. It was a call from Ran. He pushed the button to accept the call.

"Yo, Ran," he said, deciding to skip the ordeal of trying to find a quiet place to use the bowtie at such short notice. "What's up?"

"Shinichi? Why have you got Conan-kun's phone?"

"The brat is too busy stuffing his face to talk right now," Shinichi answered.

Kid, who did indeed have his mouth full of food, made a rude gesture with his fingers. Shinichi repressed a snort.

"Where are you now?" Ran's voice asked through the earpiece.

"Café Poirot."

"Ah, good. I'm almost there. Dad called to say he's got a new case. It's in Uji, so we'll be leaving on the next train. Can you tell Conan-kun to get ready and have an overnight bag packed?"

"A case in Uji?" Shinichi repeated.

"Mm. Dad didn't sound too enthused about the actual case, but the client is offering a large sum as payment."

"Sounds like Uncle," Shinichi said with a wry smile. Kogoro would never turn down a well-paying job. "Think he'll mind if I tag along?"

Ran made a surprised (but pleased) sound. "You want to come?"

"Why not? It's a public holiday tomorrow, and it's not like I have anything better to do."

No need to tell her that Conan was actually Kid, and there was no way Shinichi was letting that shrunken pervert go on an overnight trip with her. Just the thought conjured horrible visions of shared bedrooms and the two washing each other's backs. Nope. Attending as a supervisor was a must. Plus, if Shinichi was to be honest, he would have been genuinely bored had he stayed in Tokyo while the three went to solve a case without him.

Ran, oblivious to these thoughts, simply expressed her delight and said that her father would have no complaints (which really meant she would not let Kogoro have any complaints). The four of them would all go to Uji together.

"Great," Shinichi said. "Then I guess I'll see you soon. I'll make sure Conan-kun is ready as well."

"Thanks! See you soon."

The line went dead. Shinichi slipped the phone back in his pocket and found himself confronted with a grumpy, shrunken thief.

"I really hope you didn't agree to go on this trip just so you can get frisky with Ran-chan," Kid said, folding his arms across his chest.

Shinichi scrunched his nose. "It sounds so wrong when you put it that way. Anyway, of course I'm not planning anything like that. I told you I wouldn't kiss her again while I'm in your body."

"You had better not."

"I won't," Shinichi said exasperatedly. "I just figured it would be easier if we stick together." He shrugged. "Plus, it's for a case, and Kogoro-san doesn't have the best track record solving cases accurately without my assistance."

"Ah, so that's the reason," Kid said, relaxing against his seat. "I wondered why you didn't just say I was staying at the professor's or something to get me out of the trip."

Shinichi's mouth twitched. "Well, Sleeping Kogoro does have a reputation he needs to uphold."

"Fair enough," Kid said, spreading his hands in a surrendering gesture. "I concede. To Uji we go."

And so it was decided. The boys finished their meal and went upstairs to the detective agency to pack. Kogoro wasn't too happy when he heard that Shinichi was coming along as well ("Great. Now we have two freeloaders," Kogoro had muttered), but he softened a little when he learned that Shinichi would pay for his own train tickets. Ran's arrival clinched the matter.

Half an hour later the quartet were boarding the shinkansen to Kyoto. Apparently, Kid still didn't quite trust Shinichi around Ran. He made a point to sit between the two of them on the aisle and cranked up the child act, cajoling them both into playing cards with him so that there was no time for a tête-à-tête. Kogoro buried his head in the sports news.

It was during this interlude that Shinichi discovered Kid was a big, fat cheater when it came to card games. Worse, trying to stop Kid's quick little fingers from pulling tricks was proving difficult. Even playing Daifugo and being the permanent dealer (since Shinichi got stuck as the Daihinmin every time) didn't help. Kid _always_ found a way to cheat. Still, even a magician-slash-phantom thief using questionable methods had a hard time winning against Ran's natural luck. It was a small consolation.

The sky was shifting into the colours of dusk by the time the shinkansen reached Kyoto. Kogoro hurried them off the train so they could get to the JR Line platform before the next train to Uji departed. Mercifully, it was a much shorter trip, and it was not long before the four were piling into a rental car and heading for their destination.

"So, what's this case about anyway?" Shinichi asked as they drove through the town of Uji.

Kogoro hadn't disclosed much about the case except that the client was wealthy. Perhaps that was the only fact that had penetrated into the older man's skull, because he seemed rather vague about the rest of the details. The most Shinichi was able to ascertain was that the client, Furukawa Daichi, was the president of a company that specialised in green tea products. Kogoro had been hired to act as his bodyguard.

Shinichi sighed and peered out the window, watching the town pass by in sections of neatly aligned buildings and trees, all surrounded by a backdrop of rolling hills. The Uji River flowed through the middle of the town: a wide expanse of water dotted with boats and glowing with the reflected lights cast by the streetlamps. It was all rather picturesque, which Ran also noted from where she sat in the front seat.

"It's beautiful," she observed. "And look—" she pointed to a yellow bridge that connected the two sides of the riverbank "—there's the Uji Bridge. Isn't that the one featured in _The Tale of Genji_?"

Shinichi confirmed that it was, though he couldn't resist pointing out the original bridge had been destroyed and replaced several times, so technically it wasn't the _same_ bridge. No one else seemed to appreciate this input (Kid muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like know-it-all), but Shinichi didn't care. He'd always been a stickler for the finer details, unlike a certain moustached detective. If Kogoro paid as much attention to his job as he did with gambling, where to purchase the best sake, and all the many appearances of Okino Yoko, he would be a much better detective.

"Oji-san, how much farther have we got to go?" Kid asked. He squirmed uncomfortably. "I, uh, need to use the restroom."

"Furukawa-san's home is on the outskirts of Uji," Kogoro replied. "You can hold it till then, brat."

Kid didn't look too happy at having to wait longer, but there was little he could do to relieve his situation. By the time they finally got to the house—or, rather, mansion—Shinichi realised that Kid needing to get to a toilet fast was the least of their problems. As it turned out, a detective had already been hired by a member of the household. A detective with dark skin and a thick, Kansai accent, who also happened to be accompanied by a girl with an orange ribbon in her hair.

"You!" the two detectives exclaimed, pointing at each other in shock.

Hattori's jaw dropped further as he stared from Shinichi to Kid, and then back again. "Kudo," he said, "I think you have a lot of explaining to do."

Shinichi just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He really did have the worst luck.

* * *

Notes:

1) Daifugo is the Japanese version of the card game Presidents. "Daihinmin" is basically the equivalent of the "Arsehole" rank.

2) _The Tale of Genji_ is a famous piece of Japanese literature written about the high courtiers during the Heian period. Uji is rather proud of the fact it is featured in this work of fiction. You can find statues dotted around the town that celebrate this literary heritage.

In any case, this is a shorter chapter than usual (so sorry I can't give you more after such a long break; you definitely deserve it for being so lovely and patient); however, as the title suggests, it is just the prologue for the upcoming murder mystery. I've been avoiding this arc for a while (I'm shamelessly lazy when it comes to plotting fanfiction, and murder cases are definitely too intricate to wing my way through), but hey. I'm writing about detectives so, you know, they should probably solve a murder or two at some point, right?

Next up: The true nature of the case is revealed, and the battle between the detectives (and one shrunken magician) begins!


	9. The Red Oni of Uji: The Case

**The Red Oni of Uji: The Case**

"Come here for a moment, Shinichi-niichan."

Kid grabbed Shinichi's wrist and tugged him back towards the car, completing ignoring the Osakan detective. The two boys were barely out of earshot before Kid turned on Shinichi.

"Don't tell him about me!" Kid hissed.

Shinichi blinked. "He's already seen the two of us. I think it's a bit late to—"

"Lie," Kid said bluntly. "Lie until your face turns blue if you have to, but you're not telling him."

A crease formed on Shinichi's brow. Kid was being oddly vehement about keeping their situation a secret from Hattori. It didn't seem to add up. The thief had been annoyed but hadn't exactly broken a sweat when they'd been forced to reveal the truth to Haibara and Professor Agasa. Granted, neither of those two were detectives, but the same principle of pragmatism applied. Hattori had seen "Kudo" and "Conan" together; no matter what lie was offered now, it was obvious that the boys were busted.

"Do you have something against Hattori?" Shinichi asked.

Kid shrugged. "Not particularly. I just have been around the two of you enough to know that Osakan detective is not only loud but has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth."

"Come on, you can trust Hattori. He—"

"Calls you Kudo even when you look like this," Kid interrupted, and pointed at the shrunken body he inhabited. "Not Edogawa, not Conan. Kudo. Without fail. Every. Time."

Shinichi closed his mouth. That was true. It was a constant source of frustration for him as well.

"Alright, alright," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. "You have a point there, but—"

"Oi, Kudo!"

Shinichi swore under his breath. Hattori was walking towards them, obviously determined to get to the bottom of the Double Kudo mystery. Damn it, there was no time.

Wait. _Time_. That's right, Hattori had called him early in the morning. Hattori had been confused because Shinichi had sounded like himself, and then he'd—

"Just pretend you're Haibara," Shinichi said quickly to the thief.

"Haibara?"

But Shinichi didn't get a chance to explain. Hattori stopped in front of them with his arms folded across his chest and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Alright, what's going on?" Hattori demanded.

Kid put on a false smile. "Didn't you know? Shinichi-niichan discovered the art of mitosis, and this is the result."

Hattori blinked. "Uh—"

"It's me, you idiot," Kid said in a perfect imitation of Haibara's voice. He even had her flat stare down. And that was just plain creepy.

Hattori rounded on Shinichi. "Explain."

Shinichi sighed and rubbed the base of his neck. "I told you I accidentally took an antidote pill, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the effects haven't worn off yet." Shinichi shrugged in what he hoped was a blasé gesture. "Haibara agreed to disguise as Conan to help smoothen the transition should the antidote fail while I'm on this case. It'll be easier to explain the teenage me leaving than Conan suddenly appearing, and I can't afford to let Ran get suspicious again."

"I guess," Hattori said, though he kept looking between the two with a slight crease on his brow.

Kid examined his nails. His expression was downright bored, as if he really didn't want to be here dressed up like Edogawa Conan, but maybe the effort would be worth it if he got a new Fusae bag or the latest from Chanel. It was actually impressive that Kid could project so much of Haibara's general mood without saying anything. Something still niggled at Hattori, though, because his frown deepened.

"You know," Hattori began, "there's something—"

"Heiji!"

Kazuha's shout had them all turning to where the girl stood with Ran on the front steps. She demanded to know what was taking them so long. It seemed that everyone else was already heading inside, having been welcomed by the butler.

"We'd better go," Shinichi muttered, seizing upon the distraction.

He knew their best bet for keeping up the charade was to not allow Hattori too much time to think about the matter or to scrutinise the two of them together. Kid's acting was good—freakishly so—but there was no getting past a detective's sixth sense, and Hattori had a knack for noticing discrepancies. It was the same reason why Shinichi could usually pick Kid out in a crowd, no matter how much the thief blended in with his disguises. Something would just feel off. Of course, once that sense of "offness" had been realised, the detective instinct to solve the mystery would inevitably kick in. It didn't help that the lie Shinichi had offered was pathetically flimsy.

Shinichi repressed a sigh. This was not going to work. He said as much to Kid once they were following the butler through the mansion, but the thief remained unmoved.

"One thing about being a magician is that you're constantly under scrutiny," Kid said, speaking softly enough so only Shinichi could hear. "One wrong move, one moment of hesitation, and the trick will be ruined."

"I feel like this is heading somewhere proverbial, but let me remind you that Hattori is not an idiot, and you have never succeeded in fooling me with your tricks."

Kid waved his hand. "You're missing the point. Detective-han has no reason to suspect that I am the one disguised at your side. He might get a little suspicious, sure, but that's what a good poker face is for."

Shinichi placed his palm against his forehead. "So, basically we're going to do what you always do: brazen it out and hope for the best."

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It's a terrible thing. I'm telling you that this isn't going to work. Hattori is already suspicious, and he won't let the matter drop until he's figured out what is making him feel suspicious."

The amusement faded from Kid's eyes. "Look, Kudo, I know that detective is your friend and you trust him, but that's the thing: he's _your_ friend. I can't afford to take those chances. I'm an internationally wanted thief, and right now I'm stuck in your shrunken body. All I can do—all I have ever been able to do—is trust in my skills and hope for the best. That's how I survive."

Shinichi blinked. Maybe it was because Kid had not used an honorific and had actually called him by his name instead of the usual "detective-kun", or maybe it was just because he had never heard the other boy sound so serious. Either way, Shinichi got the message.

"Alright," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We'll play it your way."

"Good."

"But, just so we're clear, I don't think this is going to work."

"You're so pessimistic," Kid complained. "Just leave the acting to me; all you need to do is remember that I'm Haibara disguised as Edogawa Conan. So long as you don't slip up, we'll be fine."

"Sure, sure," Shinichi said, repressing a sigh.

It was too late to discuss the matter further anyway. Hattori had at last escaped Kazuha's clutches and had latched himself back onto Shinichi. Kid, somehow managing to project an underlying hint of Haibara's aloofness while at the same time acting as Conan, moved to walk with the girls. Perhaps the thief had sensed that their charade was likely to fall apart if he was too close to Hattori.

Shinichi shrugged off the matter. He'd just have to trust that Kid knew what he was doing. The best thing Shinichi could do himself was to focus on the Furukawa case, which really wasn't that hard. Just meeting the butler—an elderly man named Fujimoto Hiro—had indicated that something was not right at the mansion. The old man was on edge: beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his eyes kept darting left and right, as if paranoid that he was being watched. Hattori also noticed the odd behaviour, judging from the little crease that formed on his brow.

"Is something wrong, Fujimoto-san?" Hattori asked, ever the blunt interrogator. "You seem uneasy."

The butler flinched and let out a nervous laugh. "Ah, you'll have to forgive me," he said. "Things have been a bit tense here ever since—"

"Fujimoto."

The sharp voice sliced through the butler's words like a knife. Fujimoto paled. Shinichi turned his head to see a woman step into the corridor. She looked to be in her late twenties, but even he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. Her long black hair was parted to the side and kept in place with a clip. A black dress completed the ensemble, emphasising the red lipstick that coloured her lips.

"Ayano-sama," Fujimoto said, lowering his head in a bow.

Ayano raised her eyebrow at the group standing behind the butler. "Who are all of these people?"

"Ah, this is the detective the master invited to stay," Fujimoto said, gesturing to Kogoro.

Kogoro was instantly pushing ahead of the butler, making sure to emphasise to Ayano that he was the _famous_ Mouri Kogoro. Ayano didn't seem too impressed by this revelation—not that this bothered Kogoro. Judging by his brightened eyes and over-admiring smile, he had already succumbed to Ayano's beauty. Nothing could sway him from lavishing her with attention.

Ran just sighed and placed a hand to her forehead. "Dad," she muttered. "You're embarrassing."

Shinichi tried to suppress a smile. If there was one thing Mouri Kogoro could be counted on deducing in a second, it was a beautiful woman's marital status. There was no ring on Ayano's finger, making her an acceptable recipient for Kogoro's attempts at flirting. Fujimoto introduced her as Furukawa Daichi's daughter.

Ayano glanced at the rest of the group, silently questioning with one arched eyebrow what they were all doing here, since her father had only asked for Kogoro to act as a bodyguard. Kogoro was quick to explain that Ran was his daughter while inferring that "Conan" and Shinichi were freeloader brats who just happened to be staying with him at the moment. He had no idea why the Osakans were here.

Hattori jutted his chin. "We were invited." He jabbed his thumb into his chest, and a grin curved his mouth. "The name's Hattori Heiji. I'm a detective."

"I'm Heiji's friend," Kazuha said, bowing her head in greeting. "Toyoma Kazuha."

Ayano's eyebrows rose even higher. "My, my, this place is full of detectives. Well, do be careful while you're conducting your little investigation. Hashihime might get you otherwise." She laughed—a high, tinkling sound—and then carried on walking down the hallway, much to Kogoro's disappointment.

"Hashihime?" Shinichi questioned, glancing at the butler.

Fujimoto patted some of the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. "The woman of Uji Bridge." His hands trembled. "We always thought she was just a legend, but last night Uehara-san, our gardener, spotted someone who looked like Hashihime on the bridge near the front gate. He even managed to get a picture of her."

Hattori rubbed his chin. "So, that's why the letter I got sent was talking about a red oni."

"O-oni?" Ran and Kazuha stuttered, clutching at each other in fear.

Kazuha pointed an accusing finger at Hattori. "You never said anything about an oni, Heiji!"

"I thought it was some kind of riddle using an oni as a metaphor," he said with a shrug. "Besides, you were the one who insisted on coming."

Kazuha looked ready to argue the point, but they were interrupted by a pale-faced Ran who declared that she wanted to go home. Vampires and zombies had been bad enough, but she refused to deal with demons.

"Ran, the vampires and zombies weren't real," Shinichi pointed out with his usual pragmatism. "I'm sure this Hashihime is also just a human using tricks to scare people."

Ran was not convinced. She plucked Kid up from where he had been standing near her feet and hugged the boy against her like a soft toy, insisting that it would be better if they just went home. None of them were any match for an oni. Kid, to give him credit—or perhaps because he was pretending to be Haibara, who was supposed to be pretending to be Conan—did not let himself stay in her embrace for long. He wriggled out of her hold and situated himself behind Shinichi's leg, placing the taller boy between him and Ran like a wall.

"Shinichi-niichan is right," Kid said in Conan's chirpy voice. "It's unlikely that we're dealing with a real oni."

"But—"

"Ran," Shinichi said, placing his hand on her shoulder and meeting her gaze steadily. "You'll be fine."

Ran's cheeks dusted with pink—a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Kogoro, who was quick to step in and break up the little moment. He told Ran to stop being so scared, told the others to be quiet, and then asked the butler to lead them to Furukawa Daichi so they could hear the full details of the case. Shinichi translated this as Kogoro telling them all to stop kicking up a fuss, because all the older detective could see right now was yen with a lot of zeros attached. That meant no one was leaving until the case was solved.

As the group followed the butler, Kazuha tried to cheer Ran up by telling her that they would be able to take care of the oni with their aikido and karate. "We can be like Momotaro!" she said, pounding her fist against her palm.

"Would karate work against an oni?" Ran asked in a doubtful voice.

"Of course!"

Ran frowned, and the two girls continued to debate over what would be the best method for dealing with an oni. Shinichi switched off that conversation pretty quickly. Instead, he turned to Hattori and demanded to know what was in the letter that had been sent to the Osakan detective.

"Oh, so _now_ you want to know about the case," Hattori said, feigning an air of haughtiness. "I dunno, Kudo. I did invite you to join me on this case this morning, but you refused. In fact, I specifically remember you saying you _pass_."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm here now, so you might as well tell me."

Hattori made a show of thinking about the matter for a moment, complete with head tilting and humming sounds. "I just don't know if you deserve it, Kudo."

Shinichi gave his friend a flat look that was almost on par with Haibara for how unimpressed he appeared. Behind him, he heard Kid supress a snigger. Trust the thief to find Hattori's teasing amusing.

"What'cha talking about?" Kazuha asked, coming over with Ran. Apparently, deciding the best way to defeat an oni did not take long.

Kid explained the situation for the girls' benefit. This seemed to have quite the effect on Kazuha, who decided they should use this opportunity to have a battle between the great detectives of the East and West. Being the competitive boys that they were, neither Shinichi nor Hattori could find fault with this plan.

"Just you watch, Kudo," Hattori said with a grin. "This one will be a point for Osaka."

Shinichi's mouth twitched into an answering smile. "We all know who the better detective is, Hattori. This isn't even going to be a competition."

Both of the teens' grins widened. The deduction battle had begun.

 **oOo**

Shinichi absently toyed with his dinner, his gaze intent as he examined each of the people who had gathered in the dining room. Furukawa Daichi, the head of the family, was a tall man in his early sixties. He was the president of the Furukawa green tea business and seemed to have an aggressive, if rather paranoid, temperament. Not that his paranoia was without justification. For twenty-one days, Furukawa had found a note on his pillow that repeated the same message:

復讐

Revenge. The kanji on the final note, which he had found yesterday, had been written in blood. The police had confirmed the blood did not belong to a human.

"Which is about all they have managed to deduce," Furukawa had complained.

That was why Furukawa had hired Kogoro to act as his bodyguard. He did not trust the police to get the job done, nor did he believe that the person threatening him was the legendary Hashihime. Instead, he had confided in private to the detectives that he believed the culprit was someone from his household.

"I don't know what this nonsense is about revenge," Furukawa had said bluntly, "but I do know that not one of them here has a shred of fidelity."

"Don't mean to be rude, but it sounds like someone is trying to say you're the one who's been unfaithful," Hattori had observed, folding his arms across his chest. "Hashihime became an oni so that she could kill the man who betrayed her, along with all of his relatives. If we follow the story, the logical explanation for why this is happening now is that you had an affair."

Furukawa dismissed the accusation, but the fact remained that someone was trying to imitate the tale of Hashihime. The twenty-one notes symbolised the twenty-one days Hashihime bathed in the Kawase River to become an oni and carry out her revenge. The culprit had even gone as far as dressing up like the demonised woman. True, the picture taken on the gardener's phone had been blurry, but Shinichi had still been able to make out a figure with her hair twisted into five horns, her skin painted vermilion red, and wearing a three-pronged trivet on her head that was adorned with burning torches.

If one was to use the story as a foundation for the case, the culprit was likely to be Furukawa's wife: a spouse gone mad from jealously and betrayal. However, Furukawa Mariko did not appear to be either of these things. She was a composed woman, probably in her late fifties, and liked to stick to tradition. Tonight, she was dressed in a white kimono decorated with flowers, complete with a red obi tied around her waist. She also seemed more interested in green tea than her husband's daily activities.

Shinichi's brow creased. He could not imagine Mariko dressing up like an oni, let alone planning such an elaborate method to murder her husband, but then people had surprised him before. More observation was necessary.

Which brought Shinichi to the next person on his Potential Suspects list. Furukawa Ichirou was the eldest child of Furukawa Daichi and Mariko: a thin man in his mid-thirties who wore glasses and had a habit of fidgeting with anything that came near his fingers. Though father and son did not appear to get along, it was an established fact that Ichirou would inherit the company after his father's death. Shinichi made a mental note to look into Ichirou's financial situation. It wouldn't be the first time someone had plotted against their parent for the sake of getting an early inheritance, and it bothered Shinichi that the legend of Hashihime pointed so obviously to Mariko as being the culprit.

He shifted his gaze to Ichirou's wife, Natsumi. She was a sallow-faced woman with dark hair that she kept in a tight bun. Everything about her was neat and orderly, from her perfectly ironed skirt to her perfectly ironed blouse. Shinichi noted that her mouth had a tendency to curl upwards, giving off an impression of disdain. A cold woman, and probably a clever one too. He added her to his list.

Opposite Natsumi sat Ayano, younger sister to Ichirou, and the same woman who they had met in the hallway. She had been the one to first raise the story of Hashihime, though she had treated the idea as amusing. As far as suspect profiling went, Ayano didn't appear to have any real motive unless she was hoping to inherit the company after murdering her father and brother. Again, more observation was necessary.

Shinichi pursed his lips. This was proving to be a tricky case. The only other female in the house was a maid named Himura Yori: a demure woman in her early twenties with a pleasant face and mousy-brown hair. Shinichi added her to his list simply because the figure in the photograph had a feminine build, though he had not ruled out the idea of a male culprit. If there was one thing he had learnt from his previous cases, it was that it was better to keep an open mind. He did not want to fall into the trap of twisting "facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts", as people were prone to do when theorising without any real data. Still, it would have been nice to have a bit more to go on than one blurry photograph and twenty-one notes bearing the word revenge.

"Well?" Kid prodded from where he sat next to Shinichi. "What are your thoughts so far, oh great detective?"

Shinichi's frown deepened. "I would say it's very likely that Furukawa-san is keeping something from us. No one receives notes about revenge without having inkling why."

"True," Kid agreed. "Given the fact that the tale of Hashihime has been invoked by the culprit, your Osakan friend is probably right that it has to do with a woman. Either that, or someone is playing tricks and purposely trying to frame Mariko-san."

Shinichi made a noncommittal sound. Those were the two likeliest options. The real test would be uncovering the truth to prove which one was correct.

"I think I will need to talk to this gardener," Shinichi mused, more to himself. "If Uehara-san really did see the culprit, he may be able to give me a more accurate idea of the oni's appearance."

"You might want to try the butler again as well," Kid suggested. "For someone not even related to the Furukawa family, he seemed rather anxious."

Shinichi nodded—he had thought the same about Fujimoto—but then he paused. "You're being oddly helpful," he said, frowning at the smaller boy. "I didn't think you would be interested in the case."

Kid shrugged. "I'm no detective, but that doesn't mean I want to see someone get killed. Mouri-san had best stick close to Furukawa-san. Our culprit will make their move soon."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because the stage has been set now," Kid said grimly, "and every showman knows you don't leave an audience waiting."

An unbidden chill crept down Shinichi's spine. If Kid was right, then there was no time to muck around. He needed to pinpoint the culprit fast, and to do that he needed more information.

Shinichi was relieved when the group finally began to disperse from the dining room. Kid had offered to keep an eye on Furukawa along with Kogoro, which left Shinichi free to pursue his investigation. Or, at least, as free as he could be with Heiji at his side. It seemed that the two detectives were on the same page and had both decided to seek out the butler for their first person to question. Fujimoto, however, was difficult to pin down. The old man got flustered and insisted that he knew nothing about where the twenty-one notes had come from, let alone why someone would target his master.

"You saw the photo," Fujimoto said, dabbing at the sweat on his forehead with his handkerchief. "This is surely the work of Hashihime. How can you expect me to understand the thought process of an oni?"

Heiji sighed once the old man left. "Well, that was a waste of time."

Shinichi made a noncommittal sound. If Fujimoto was to be believed, the man was scared because he genuinely thought an oni was planning to slaughter the household. It made sense; most people would panic if they heard that a demon-like figure was lurking around their home. The problem was Shinichi himself. Something just niggled. In fact, everything about this case niggled. He got the feeling that Furukawa was not the only one in this mansion holding back information from the detectives. It was frustrating to say the least.

Shinichi was still pondering the matter when he and Hattori returned from questioning the gardener. Uehara, as it had turned out, was a very superstitious man. From his testimony, Shinichi was able to confirm that the figure in the photograph had been a tall, demon-like woman with red skin and three burning torches on her head. Uehara had been too scared to get close, but he had said the figure had stood on the other side of the bridge and stared at the mansion for a moment before disappearing.

"Who else could it have been other than Hashihime?" Uehara had asked with wide eyes.

Shinichi frowned and rested his chin on his thumb and forefinger. There was no doubt that Uehara believed he had seen an oni. It seemed that Kid's theory had been on the mark as well; there was something very staged about the image of Hashihime standing on the bridge before vanishing. It seemed that the culprit was indeed setting up for the climatic act—had been doing so for twenty-one days—and now the curtain was about to rise.

And Shinichi and Hattori still had no solid leads.

"Heiji!"

Both detectives turned to see Ran and Kazuha coming towards them. The Osakan girl grabbed hold of Hattori's arm and tugged him back towards the mansion.

"Let's go," she said firmly.

"K-Kazuha," Hattori spluttered, stumbling after her in surprise. "What—"

"This way!"

Kazuha talked over his protests, tightening her grip on his arm as she dragged him away. She glanced over her shoulder and give Ran a wink. Shinichi's detective instincts pinged. Something was going on here. He wasn't sure that he liked it either.

"Uh," Shinichi said, once the two Osakans had disappeared from view. "Mind telling me what that was about?"

Ran stared down at her hands. She kept twisting the hem of her shirt round and round her fingers, and a light dusting of pink bloomed on her cheeks. For some reason, the observation made his own cheeks warm. It occurred to him that this was the first time they'd been alone together since he'd kissed her.

"Shinichi," Ran said slowly, "I know this isn't the best time, but you have a habit of vanishing when I want to talk to you, and, well—"

"Well what?" he prompted when she remained silent.

Ran took a deep breath. "It's about the other night."

His heart skipped in a funny beat. She could only be referring to one thing.

"Oh," he said, swallowing against the sudden lump of awkwardness in his throat. "That."

Ran's blush darkened, and she moved closer. "It's just, well, you kissed me and—"

"It was too fast, right?" he said in a rush.

Her eyes darted to his, and he didn't miss the flicker of surprise and maybe even a little disappointment that crossed her expression. "Oh."

There was an awkward pause. Ran chewed on her bottom lip. It wasn't fair that such an innocent act could do such terrible things to his self-control. He could remember vividly how it had felt to kiss those lips. So soft. So addictive. Even now, he knew he only needed to learn forward and—

Shinichi blinked. That was not a good train of thought. That train of thought needed to be stopped in its tracks right now, because he had made a promise to Kid, and Kid would kill him if he didn't keep it.

With an effort, Shinichi pulled his gaze away from Ran's mouth. "I just think we should take things slower," he said a bit feebly, even as his mind chanted liar, liar, liar. "Much slower."

Ran's brow creased. "Um, okay."

"Because we're still only sixteen and all, and, uh, I just think that—"

A screeching sound pierced the night, followed by a decided thunk. Shinichi froze. His eyes narrowed as he glanced towards the direction of the front gate. The next second he and Ran were running. He prayed in his mind that they would not be too late. Please let them not be too late.

Shinichi skidded to a halt when he got to the bridge. A car had rammed into one of the posts, crunching the bonnet into the wood and knocking the post askew. There was a slumped figure in the driver's seat. The left-side backdoor of the car was open, allowing the top half of a person to spill onto the ground. Shinichi recognised the grey-sprinkled hair and black suit: it was Furukawa, and there was a knife buried in the older man's back.

The detective's heart sunk. They were too late.

* * *

The line "twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts" is taken from _A Scandal in Bohemia_ , by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

So, this took longer than expected to get finished. Very sorry about that. In any case, I'm curious to hear your thoughts about the case. If you have guesses about the culprit, please share so I can cackle evilly in my knowledge (or possibly just bemoan the fact that writing murder mysteries is really hard). Either way, you'll make my day.

Next up: the investigation continues, and Heiji is suspicious!


	10. The Red Oni of Uji: The Suspicion

Apologies for the wait! I'll spare you the details and simply say I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's a longer one.

* * *

 **The Red Oni of Uji: The Suspicion**

Furukawa Daichi was dead. The glassy eyes and frozen-in-pain expression said as much. Ran clutched at Shinichi's shirt, burying her face against his chest to hide from the gruesome sight. He absently wrapped his arm around her, but his gaze remained fixed on the slumped figure half-fallen out of the car. The knife in Furukawa's back looked like an ordinary kitchen one. Blood pooled from the wound, scattering in red splotches on the gravel.

"Ran," he said, gently holding her back from him. "I'm going to take a closer look. I need to check on the driver. You've got your cell phone on you, right? Call the police and let them know what happened."

She nodded, though her face was still sheet-white. It seemed she would never get used to seeing dead bodies. He wasn't sure which was better: being desensitised like him or still being able to feel the shock and horror of confronting murder.

Shinichi left her to make the phone call and moved to the right-hand side of the car. The airbag had deployed, so the driver's face was hidden. The short black hair and suit indicated a male. Shinichi could not see any knife wounds, but then he could not tell if the man was breathing either. Frowning, he covered his hand with a handkerchief and pulled open the door. He was just about to check the man's pulse when the sound of running footsteps and someone calling his name made him pause. It was Hattori and Kazuha, followed closely by Kid and the gardener.

"We heard the crash," Hattori said by way of greeting, skidding to a halt. "What happened?" He swore when he spotted Furukawa's body.

"Good timing," Shinichi said, sparing the other detective a glance. "Get some photos before any more people turn up. I don't want the scene compromised."

Hattori didn't argue and pulled out his phone and started taking pictures. Kazuha stood anxiously beside Ran, who was having trouble getting reception on her phone. Meanwhile, Kid was trying to calm down the gardener. Uehara had gone into a panic the moment he'd seen his master's knifed body, babbling something about demons and curses. He only got worse when he noticed the person in the driver's seat.

"Nao!" Uehara exclaimed. He tried to run forward, but Kid held him back.

"It's best if you don't get any closer, Uehara-san," Kid said firmly. "Shinichi-niichan will check on your friend."

Uehara's gaze was still wild with anxiety, but Kid's air of calm seemed to have an effect. The gardener's shoulders slumped. "Is Nao alright?"

Shinichi placed two fingers against the man's neck. A pulse greeted his fingertips. "He's alive," Shinichi confirmed. "Probably just got knocked out when the car crashed and the airbag deployed."

Uehara sighed in relief. Kid, on the other hand, furrowed his brow. Shinichi thought he could guess what the thief was thinking. Why had the murderer left the driver alive?

Dismissing the matter for now, Shinichi turned to Uehara. "Help me get him out. I didn't notice any injuries, but I won't know for sure until I can check him properly. Just try not to touch anything else."

Uehara nodded and walked over to help Shinichi lift the unconscious driver out of the car. Fortunately, the man—Nao, as Uehara had called him—had a slim build and was easy to carry.

"Shinichi, I can't get any reception," Ran complained.

He cursed under his breath. "Must be the mountains," he muttered, shifting his grip to lower Nao to the ground, even as Uehara lowered his legs. "There'll be a landline at the mansion, so—"

Uehara let out a strangled yell. Kazuha screamed a second later, joined in chorus by Ran, who had gone chalk white. Shinichi whipped his head round to follow the girl's line of sight, gazing across the bridge to the front gate. His eyes widened. There was a woman standing on the far end of the bridge: a woman with vermilion red skin and her hair twisted into five horns. Kid was the closest to the demon-like figure, having been kneeling on the bridge to examine something.

"Conan-kun, get away from her!" Ran cried, making a dash for the boy.

Even terrified, Ran only thought of protecting others above herself. It was admirable; however, Kid just threw out his hand in a gesture for her to stop, not even glancing back at the girl.

"Keep off the bridge!" he ordered, his voice far sharper than was warranted from a first grader, even if he was pretending to be Haibara.

Shinichi realised why a split-second later. There was a faint beeping noise, followed by a deep, bone-resonating boom. Flames gushed into the air, swallowing the bridge in a cloud of burning orange.

"Conan-kun!" Shinichi shouted, remembering at the last second to use the fake name.

The smaller boy emerged from the flames, soaring backwards through the air as if thrown from the impact of the explosion. He hit the ground, rolling a few times before planting his palm against the gravel and pushing himself up onto one hand. A soccer ball appeared a split-second later. Kid kicked it hard while he was still in mid-air, moving in a fluid motion to land back on his feet even as the expanding ball went flying just as a second bomb went off. This explosion was bigger, ripping the bridge apart into chunks of wood; however, the flames and ricocheting bits of debris were stopped by the now giant soccer ball that acted like a wall to take the brunt of the impact.

"Wow," Kazuha breathed from next to Shinichi.

Wow was about right. Kid had just pulled off an amazing kick, not to mention protected most of the crime scene from the explosion. Not that the thief in question seemed to care. He just slumped a bit, breathing hard, and watched the soccer ball deflate in a hiss of air. The black and white material folded in on itself, still flickering with tiny flames. Shinichi saw that the bridge had been destroyed; a gaping chasm remained where it had stood. There was no sign of the red oni.

"Conan-kun!" Ran rushed to Kid and pulled him into a hug. "Are you alright?"

"Can't breathe," Kid gasped, trying to wriggle out of her boa constrictor-like grip.

Ran quickly released him, but then she spotted the crimson trickling down his forehead and let out a cry of dismay. "You're bleeding!"

Kid tried to fend her off, assuring her that he was fine. It was just a scratch. Ran was not to be appeased and kept fussing over him, making little clucking sounds whenever she spotted new scrapes or found reddened patches of skin where he'd got burnt. She was just ordering him to come back with her to the house so she could fix him up when Kogoro and Ichirou joined the group. Both men looked out of breath.

"What happened?" Kogoro demanded.

Shinichi filled him in, making sure to keep an eye on Ichirou. He was curious to see the man's reaction. Ichirou certainly went pale when he discovered that his father had been murdered; however, he was more concerned with the fact that the bridge had been destroyed. Especially since the so-called red oni, otherwise known as Hashihime, had appeared moments before the explosions had started.

"Why would Hashihime want to blow up the bridge?" Ichirou asked, pushing his glasses up his nose into a more secure position. "She's an oni."

Shinichi decided not to point out that the woman they had seen was unlikely to have been Hashihime, let alone an oni. Instead, he explained that the murderer probably wanted to make sure no one could escape.

"If the murderer really is following the legend, your father is meant to be the first victim," he said, glancing at Furukawa Daichi's body. "Hashihime also killed her husband's lover, along with all of his relatives."

Ichirou swallowed audibly. "You can't be serious."

"Afraid so," Hattori said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Blowing up the bridge means no one can leave, but it also means no one can get in without a helicopter, including the police. It's a standard tactic for this kind of scenario."

What colour left in Ichirou's cheeks drained away. "What do you mean 'this kind of scenario'? And why the hell are you being so calm about this? My father just got murdered, and it sounds like you're saying my family and I are going to be next!"

Shinichi and Hattori exchanged a glance. They couldn't very well explain that this wasn't the first time they'd been trapped at a mansion while a killer was on the loose. Sure, it was awful, but panicking didn't solve anything. Kogoro seemed to have missed the detective memo, though, because he jerked as if zapped.

"Ayano-chan!" Kogoro exclaimed.

He looked ready to bolt to go check on the pretty woman who had caught his fancy, so Shinichi suggested that Kogoro should take Ran, Kazuha and Ichirou with him to round everyone up at the mansion into one room. It would be safer for them to stick together, and the police still needed to be informed. Plus, the Furukawa family and their retainers would all have to be questioned at some point. This would just make it easier.

Kogoro couldn't argue with this logic, even if he didn't look pleased at being ordered around by the "detective boy", as he liked to call Shinichi. He did soften enough to tell Shinichi and Hattori to be careful, and to make sure that the freeloader brat didn't get into any further trouble.

"Conan-kun is coming with me," Ran said, gripping Kid's shoulder. "He needs first-aid."

"Actually, I thought I could help him with that," Shinichi said, flashing a disarming smile. "I need to ask him some questions anyway."

"That's right," Kid chirped, seizing the chance to escape. "Don't worry, Ran-neechan. Shinichi-niichan will take good care of me."

She folded her arms across her chest, giving Shinichi a hard look. "You had better."

"He'll be fine," Shinichi said, placing his hand on the small of her back and ushering her towards Kogoro. "We'll be along soon, anyway; Hattori and I just need to finish things up here."

"Don't worry, Neechan," Hattori said with a grin. "Conan-kun is safe with us."

Ran surrendered to their combined assurances, though she still looked worried. Luckily, Kazuha was there to distract her.

"You should go with them, too," Shinichi told Uehara. "Think you can carry Nao-san? It looks like he doesn't have any serious injuries, so it should be fine."

Uehara nodded. He was a burly man, so he simply scooped Nao up into his arms and followed Kogoro and the others back to the mansion. Shinichi watched the group for a moment and then turned to Kid. The thief was holding what looked like Ran's handkerchief against the cut on his forehead, using the cloth to stem the bleeding. Shinichi's mouth drooped at the corners.

"Are you really alright?" he asked. "I can take you back now if you'd prefer to get bandaged up first."

Kid waved off the concern with a dismissive hand. "I'm fine. Bit singed and bruised, but fine. Head wounds always bleed more; trust me, it's not as bad as it looks."

"Alright," Shinichi said, and then he smiled. "By the way, that was an impressive kick you pulled off earlier. I didn't know you had it in you."

Kid opened his mouth to respond, but then he paused when he noticed Hattori watching him. "I didn't know either," he said with a shrug. "Guess all those soccer games you forced me to play paid off."

It was a Haibara-ish enough answer, but the small moment of hesitation suggested that Kid had been planning to say something else. Of course, Hattori noticed the slip.

"I don't know if I'd say it was that much of a surprise," Hattori observed, his teal eyes gleaming. "You are Kudo, after all."

Kid blinked, genuinely surprised by Hattori's deduction that he was the real Kudo. Shinichi could understand. It had thrown him for a loop as well.

"There's no need to look at me like that," Hattori said, folding his arms across his chest and smirking at the both of them. "I knew something was weird when I first saw you two together. I'll admit I didn't figure it out at first because fake Kudo here—" he nodded at Shinichi "—is a pretty good actor. Still, you can't change the facts."

"Facts?" Kid echoed, raising his eyebrow. "And what would those be?"

"That injury for one," Hattori said, pointing at his forehead. "If you were really that little scientist girl, your mask would have been shredded from the cut alone, but I don't see any damage like that."

Shinichi inwardly cursed. Yes, that was true.

"Then there's the trick you pulled with the soccer ball," Hattori continued, counting the list on his fingers. "Maybe that girl does play soccer with you now and then, but I doubt she has the skill to pull off something like that. Kudo does."

Kid spread his hands. "Okay, let's say I really am Kudo-kun. Who is that supposed to be then?"

Hattori frowned and stepped close to Shinichi. Far, far too close. "That's what I'd like to know," he said, peering intently at the teen's face.

Shinichi swallowed and backed up, raising his hands in a warding gesture. "Look, this isn't what you think."

"True enough," Kid muttered.

Hattori narrowed his eyes, glancing back and forth between them. "Well, then why don't you explain what's going on? And don't give me that rubbish about the scientist girl dressing up as Conan, 'cause I won't believe it."

Kid shrugged. "I told you. Mitosis."

"Yeah, I'm not buying that."

"Too bad," Kid said with a saccharine smile. "It's all you're going to get."

Hattori made a frustrated sound. "Kudo, just tell me the truth!"

"But I'm not Kudo," Kid responded, sounding just a little too gleeful. He really did enjoy riling people up. "I don't have to tell you anything."

Shinichi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can see this is going to drag on for a while, so let me just say this now. Hattori, that kid isn't me. I mean he's not Kudo. Think what you will, but it is the truth." His gaze shifted to Kid. "And you, stop antagonising him."

Kid pouted a little. "Killjoy."

Shinichi just shook his head. "I'm respecting your request. Don't make me regret it."

"Fine," Kid said with an exaggerated sigh. "So, what were these questions you wanted to ask me?"

Hattori blinked and stared between the two. "Wait a minute. You're actually being serious, aren't you?"

Kid patted the detective on the arm as he walked past him. "Try not to have an aneurysm."

Shinichi threw the smaller boy a pointed look. Kid ignored the reprimand, but not because he still wanted to tease Hattori. Instead, all trace of levity vanished from his expression and he crouched in front of Furukawa's body, examining the knife wound.

"Do you know why Furukawa-san tried to leave?" Shinichi asked. "You were with him earlier." He frowned. "What happened with that, anyway? I thought you were keeping an eye on him."

"I was." Kid shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I, er, left to use the restroom and got trapped into looking at tea sets with Mariko-san on the way back. I figured it wouldn't matter since Mouri-san was still with Furukawa-san, but it turns out that moustached detective ended up getting distracted by Ayano-san. Something must have happened during that time while Furukawa-san was alone."

"About that," Hattori said, and pulled out a folded piece of paper that had been wrapped in a handkerchief. "I found this in the old guy's pocket."

Shinichi scanned the note, recognising the handwriting as belonging to the same person who had composed the twenty-one revenge notes. This time the message consisted of one word written in hiragana:

あめ

A crease formed on his brow. Since the word had not been written in its kanji equivalent, it could be interpreted as meaning sweets or rain. Neither of those struck a chord with Shinichi; however, he did notice that the paper looked far too wrinkled, as if Furukawa had crunched it in his fist as soon as he had read the note. Clearly, the word 'ame' meant something to Furukawa—enough to make him try leave the manor without his bodyguard.

"I'm not sure about the meaning of the message," Hattori admitted, but he didn't seem bothered by this fact. If anything, his eyes sparkled at the challenge of solving the clue. "I'd say the note was left to lure Furukawa-san out of the mansion, though."

Shinichi rubbed his chin in thought. Yes, that seemed the most likely theory.

Kid made a humming noise in the back of his throat. "Well, I don't know about the message, but I can say your culprit probably has some kind of background in theatre or at least experience with setting up props."

Shinichi and Hattori both turned to stare at the smaller boy. Hattori's gaze, it must be noted, was particularly intent.

"What makes you say that?" Shinichi asked.

"The Hashihime we saw was a dummy," Kid said flatly. "I was on the bridge because I spotted the wires. There was probably a remote-controlled mechanism on the other side to release the fake oni when the culprit wanted, and then the bombs would go off to blow up the bridge and take the dummy with it." He stood up, dabbing away the fresh trickle of blood on his forehead. "My guess is the oni that Uehara took a picture of last night was just from the rehearsal. The culprit wanted to make sure the trick would work."

"Makes sense," Shinichi agreed.

Hattori frowned. "If this is true, then the culprit could be anyone."

Shinichi nodded. He had been almost set on the culprit being female, but now the culprit didn't even need to have the same build as the figure in the photograph. More frustrating was the fact that any forensic tests would have to wait, since the police probably wouldn't be able to get through until the next morning now that the bridge was destroyed. It would be too dangerous trying to navigate the helicopter at night.

"It looks like we're going to have to solve this case the old-fashioned way," he observed.

"Best not waste any more time then," Hattori said, mouth curving into a grin. "Though, either way, Osaka will be taking this point."

Kid blinked at them both. "You're still planning on continuing this deduction battle thing of yours?"

"Of course!" both teens said, as if Kid was crazy to suggest otherwise.

Kid just shook his head and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "detectives". Shinichi repressed a smile. It probably did seem like he and Hattori were taking the situation too lightly, but murder had never amused Shinichi. Sure, he could admit that the more complicated a case got, the more exciting it was for him to unravel; however, that didn't mean he was going to let any more people die if he could help it. At the end of the day, he was here to stop a criminal. The deduction battle was just a harmless addition to the equation.

Not that Shinichi planned on losing.

The three boys finished collating what clues they could from the crime scene and then headed back towards the mansion. Hattori parted ways with them at the door, but not before warning that he would get to the bottom of the double Kudo mystery.

"Don't think you're going to get out of telling me the truth that easily," he told them. "As soon as I've solved the Furukawa case, I'm coming for you."

"Good luck with that," Kid responded, waving his hand in another of those dismissive gestures.

Which, of course, had only irritated the Osakan even more.

Shinichi frowned at Kid once they were alone. He wished the thief would stop baiting Hattori. It was like Kid couldn't help but egg people on if they got close to the truth, though it was true that Hattori made himself an easy target. The Osakan always had been a bit hot-headed. Well, it was no sweat off Shinichi's back; he wasn't the one who cared if Hattori found out about the switch. Besides, there was a question he was still curious to have answered—truthfully, this time—and now was the perfect opportunity.

"What were you going to say earlier?" he asked the smaller boy. "About what you did with the soccer ball, I mean."

Kid laughed. "Oh, that. Just that your body is hardwired to act with your feet. I've seen you use your hellish gadgets enough times to figure out the mechanics, so I just let instinct do its work." He shrugged. "I suppose it's a small consolation. Your hand dexterity sucks, I'll have you know. I have to re-train myself all over again just to do basic magic tricks."

Shinichi snorted. "Sorry to be such an inconvenience to your thieving ways."

"So you should be."

"But I guess this means you're not really good at soccer, are you?"

"I've always been better at rugby," Kid admitted with a cheeky glint in his eyes. "All that practice escaping tackles."

Shinichi fought back a smile. They both knew Kid was referring to his antics with the Kaitou Kid Task Force.

"Well, that's too bad," Shinichi said, shifting to a more nonchalant tone. "I would have been curious to see how you held up against me in a soccer match."

"Help me get my body back and I'll play as many games of soccer with you as you like." A pause. "Just don't expect me to play by the rules."

"Shameless cheat."

Kid flashed a grin. "It's only cheating if you get caught."

Shinichi just shook his head, though the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. "Come on, let's get you fixed up. Ran will kill me if I let you walk around bleeding any longer."

Kid could find no fault with this plan, so they entered the mansion and tracked down the maid, Himura Yori, for a first-aid kit. It was not long before the smaller boy was holding still while Shinichi smoothed a bandage over his forehead. Kid's other scrapes and burns also got treated, though the fact that the thief had anticipated the explosion meant that he had been able to avoid taking any serious damage. Shinichi could only be grateful.

"Think you could try to take better care of my body?" Shinichi scolded, though his tone was light enough to show he was teasing. "It's only on loan to you, you know."

Kid pulled on a clean shirt. "Says the guy who gets himself thrown out of blimps."

"That was only once," Shinichi retorted. "Besides, you're no paragon of safety yourself. I've seen the scars."

Kid plastered on a scandalised expression. "Have you been perving on my body, Detective-kun? I'm shocked!"

Shinichi let out an undignified snort. "Don't flatter yourself. And you know what I meant."

Kid did, of course, but that didn't mean he was going to answer the unspoken question. Instead, he recommended that Shinichi put that overly-nosy, detective brain of his to better use. Like solving the Furukawa case.

"You know," Kid said dryly, "because we still don't know who killed Furukawa-san, and we both know the murderer won't stop there."

Right. Because the murderer had purposely cut them all off from the outside world—even the phone lines, as it had turned out. It was like the Magic Lover's case all over again, except this time Shinichi didn't have the flu and he was helping to keep Kid's cover.

"I was already planning to do that," Shinichi said, "but you're welcome to join me in my investigation. I'm going to go question everyone now."

Kid shrugged. "Not like I have anything better to do. Lead away, Detective-kun."

Shinichi put the first-aid kit back on the shelf and backtracked with Kid to the room where the rest of the household had been gathered. They arrived just in time to hear the dispute between Ayano and Natsumi. The black-haired beauty might have scoffed at the idea of a murderous oni, but she was not laughing now that her father had actually been killed. It also seemed that she had decided Natsumi was the culprit.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ayano said, curling her lip at the swallow-faced woman. "You've never liked any of us, and everyone knows that you and Ichirou are drowning in debt. I bet this was all an elaborate ploy to inherit the company early since Father refused to pay your loans."

"Don't be ridiculous," Natsumi said coldly. "And if we're to talk of motives, I heard all about your little affair with the accountant." A frosted smile curved her lips. "Father made you end the relationship, didn't he? I heard he even had your precious Kyo-chan fired so the two of you couldn't see each other."

Ayano's cheeks flushed. "That's hardly a reason for me to kill my own father."

"But money is?" Natsumi let out a harsh laugh. "As if I would be that stupid. My husband will inherit the company anyway; there is no need to risk imprisonment for it."

Ran moved to stand beside Shinichi. "It's been like this for a while," she murmured. "Dad let slip that the killer is probably one of them, so everyone has been on edge and blaming each other. Mariko-san is the only one who seems calm."

Shinichi glanced at the matriarch of the household. Mariko sat primly on her chair, not a hair out of place or a sign of red eyes. In fact, none of the household seemed particularly upset that Furukawa Daichi had been murdered. The man had been a tyrant, that much was certain. It made sense that his family and retainers were more concerned with not becoming a suspect themselves than with grieving.

Well, first things first. Time to establish alibis.

Kid got trapped in Ran and Kazuha's clutches, so Shinichi went alone to question the chauffeur, who had woken up and was sitting with Uehara. Nao—or Inoue Nao, as he introduced himself—was a slim man with dark hair. He looked to be somewhere between his mid to late thirties, and his features were rather effeminate. Right now, he also looked very pale and shaken.

"I still can't believe the master was murdered," Nao repeated over and over, obviously in shock. "I was right there. God, that could have been me!"

Shinichi allowed the man a moment to calm down, then got him to start his story from the beginning. Nao explained that he had been reading magazines in his room when Fujimoto arrived to tell him that the master wanted him to get the car ready. He had thought that his master had seemed more on edge than usual. Furukawa didn't even disclose where they were supposed to be going.

"I figured he would tell me once we were on the road," Nao said, and then his hands curled into fists, making his knuckles burn white. "The thing is that we never made it that far. Hashihime suddenly appeared on the bridge just before I was about to drive onto it, and I—" he swallowed "—well, I panicked and crashed into the post. I guess I got knocked out after that, because I don't remember anything else."

Shinichi kept his expression bland. "Could you tell me where the oni was standing on the bridge when she appeared in front of you?"

Nao's brow furrowed. "I can't remember exactly. She just appeared out of nowhere, and it gave me a fright."

"If you were to make a guess, though, would you say she was closer to the gate or the mansion?"

"The mansion, I suppose. Does it really matter?"

Shinichi offered a noncommittal answer and moved onto his next questions. He remembered Kid's comment about the culprit probably having some kind of experience with stage work, so he threw in a few baited questions about theatre as well. Nao seemed a bit puzzled by the shift in conversation, but he disclosed that he had always been a fan of kabuki theatre. He'd never performed anything himself.

"I was really shy during high school," Nao confessed with a wry smile. "Being on stage in front of people was the last thing I wanted."

Shinichi chuckled, because he knew he was supposed to, and then he got Nao to write out a few words in hiragana and kanji on the little pocket notepad he carried around with him. Shinichi knew the killer probably would have disguised their handwriting to write the notes, but he liked to be thorough.

"One more thing," he said, slipping the notebook back in his pocket. "Does the word 'ame' mean anything to you?"

Nao shook his head. "Sorry, don't know a thing about that."

Shinichi nodded and then moved onto Uehara. The gardener's alibi was as expected. Uehara was having dinner in the small house set aside for him on the grounds when Shinichi and Hattori had showed up to question him. He'd just been cleaning up when he'd heard the crash, so he'd gone outside to check what had happened and bumped into "Conan-kun". Together, they had run towards the sound, and—

"Well, you know the rest," Uehara said with a grimace.

Shinichi nodded and repeated the same little test he had performed on Nao. Uehara didn't care much for theatre, and he was just confused by the question regarding 'ame'. He said that he didn't really like sweets, if that was what Shinichi had meant, but rain was good for the garden. Shinichi thanked the man, took back the notebook, and then moved onto his next target, the ever-composed Mariko.

The elderly woman was not bothered by Shinichi's questions, somehow looking dignified even in her pyjamas and dressing gown. When asked to give an account of her actions after dinner, she explained that she had gone to clean her tea set collection.

"I like to do it myself," Mariko said with a smile. "It's a delicate task, and while Himura is a responsible enough girl, she can be clumsy."

"So, you were in the tea room this whole time?" Shinichi asked.

"No. I did use the restroom and met that child—Conan-kun, was it? Such a clever boy. I showed him my collection, and he proved quite knowledgeable about the different types of pottery and their value."

No surprise there. Shinichi would have been more surprised had Kid not known how to appraise the objects. The thief was a walking, talking encyclopaedia on all things antique and valuable.

"After Conan-kun left, I retired to my room for the night," Mariko continued. "Himura came to help me take my medicine and get ready for bed; I haven't been in the best of health, you see, so I often retire early. That was when we heard the crash and explosions."

Shinichi nodded, asked her a few more questions to work out the timing of everything, and then once more repeated the handwriting, theatre and 'ame' test. Mariko wrote the kanji and hiragana in perfect, stylised calligraphy. She also demonstrated a deep passion for theatre, expressing a regret that she had never been allowed to act in any plays because her parents deemed it improper. The question about ame threw her, and for a moment she just blinked at him.

"Rain?" she repeated. "Should it mean something to me? I've never liked getting wet."

Shinichi smiled and thanked her, then moved onto Himura. The maid was fidgeting with nerves, convinced that being questioned by no less than three detectives must mean that they thought she was the murderer.

"It's not like that," Shinichi assured her. "This is just standard procedure."

Himura pushed a few strands of mousy brown hair from her face. She told him in a fumbling voice how she had helped to clear away and clean the dishes after dinner, then had gone to prepare extra beds for "Detective Mouri's family and friends", since more of them had turned up than expected. After that, she had been summoned to help Mariko.

"We both got such a fright when we heard the explosions," Himura said with a shiver. "I still can't believe the master is dead. It's awful to think the killer might be in this room with us right now."

Shinichi murmured something reassuring and then offered her the notepad and pen. Himura wrote out the words as requested, and then he repeated the question about ame.

"Do you mean the candy or rain?" Himura asked, scrunching her nose.

Shinichi shook his head. "Never mind."

He tossed out a question about theatre, but she failed to take the bait. Shinichi thanked her and then went to join Hattori in questioning Ayano, Ichirou and Natsumi. The two women had finally stopped bickering with each other, though neither was pleased to be questioned by two teenagers. Especially not Natsumi.

"I already answered Mouri-san's questions," Natsumi said with a faint sneer. "Why should I have to repeat myself?"

Shinichi and Hattori responded with the "standard procedure" argument, but in the end it was Ichirou who managed to calm his wife down enough to get her to answer their questions. She told them in clipped tones that she had been in her room with her husband.

"Mouri-san interrupted us when he was trying to find Father, so Ichirou went to help with the search," Natsumi said, folding her arms across her chest. "I stayed in my room."

"So, you were alone during the time of the murder?" Hattori questioned.

"Yes," she admitted, "but I hardly think that makes me the killer. The room I share with my husband is in the far wing of the mansion; I wouldn't have had the time to get to the gate, stab my father-in-law, and then get back to my room without being seen. It was not long after my husband left that the explosions started."

"And you?" Shinichi asked, shifting his gaze to Ayano.

Ayano shrugged. "I have no alibi."

The teens blinked at her bold statement.

"Uh, care to elaborate?" Hattori prompted.

Ayano heaved a world weary sigh. "I was bored and had nothing to do after dinner. I remembered that idiot detective had seemed taken with me, so I thought I would pass the time by amusing myself with him. Father didn't mind; he had some business to attend to in his office anyway." She shrugged. "Mouri-san and I played card games in the parlour until he thought he had better check on Father again. We discovered that Father was missing from his office, so Mouri-san left to look for him. I returned to the parlour, and I was alone for the rest of the time."

Shinichi nodded and proceeded to question Ichirou, who confirmed that he had been with his wife after dinner and then Kogoro after that. Unless Ichirou and Natsumi were lying about being in their room together for the time they had stated, the man had a perfect alibi. Shinichi got the three to write the same words down on his notepad as he had the others, paying close attention to how they wrote 'revision', since it was almost identical to the kanji for revenge. Then he asked them about ame. All three expressed confusion as to what rain had to do with anything. His throw-away question about theatre got a much more substantial response—at least from Ayano. She mentioned that she had been part of a drama club during her college days and had often got to play lead roles.

"But why are you interested in that?" Ayano asked, furrowing her brow.

"Oh, nothing," Shinichi said with a smile.

He left them after that. Kid and Hattori fell into step beside him.

"How's it going?" Kid asked.

"Well, we found out that Ayano-san used to be part of a drama club," Shinichi responded.

Kid raised his eyebrows. "But?"

Shinichi shrugged. "I'll tell you my thoughts once I've finished questioning everyone."

With that cryptic remark, he headed over to the chef, a portly man in his late forties named Tanaka Sousuke. Tanaka was a man of few words, so it didn't take long to establish that the man had been in the kitchen the entire time except for when he had gone for his cigarette break. Himura had also been with him for a bit while doing the dishes, and that was when he had realised one of his knives was missing. He had been looking for it when the crash happened and the explosions started. Tanaka had no idea who had taken the knife or when it had been stolen.

"I have a lot of knives," he said simply, "and people often come and go through the kitchen. It could have been stolen at any time."

Shinichi asked if he could get a list of all the people Tanaka could remember entering the kitchen that day, then did the usual handwriting, theatre and ame test. Tanaka stated that he had never really thought about theatre; cooking had always been his passion. His eyes widened at the mention of 'ame'.

"I know there was a maid named Ame who used to work here. You'd have to ask Fujimoto-san if you want to know more. She was his niece."

"Was?" Hattori said, picking up on the past tense.

Tanaka nodded. "Ame-san died not long after she stopped working here. My father was the chef back in those days, so I got to talk to her now and then when I was visiting him. Nice lady."

Shinichi and Hattori thanked the chef and then, with the air of hunters who had spotted their prey, zoned in on the elderly butler. Kid trailed behind. Fujimoto mopped the sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief, clearly nervous. And for good reason. His alibi was shaky—aside from the time when Shinichi and Hattori had found him, no one could account for his whereabouts—and he had been the one who had informed Nao to get the car ready. Fujimoto paled when the boys showed him the note about Ame.

"She was your niece, wasn't she?" Shinichi said. "Tanaka-san said she used to work here as a maid."

Fujimoto cleared his throat. "Yes, but that was a long time ago."

"Can you explain why a note with your niece's name was found in Furukawa-san's pocket at the crime scene?" Hattori asked.

Fujimoto swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. His gaze flickered to the other side of the room, though it was difficult to tell who or what had caught his attention. There were several people in the man's line of sight, including Mariko, Ayano, Uehara and Nao. It was also possible he was just nervous and trying to avoid their gaze.

"I—I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"You're lying, Fujimoto-san," Kid said softly.

The man mopped at his forehead, refusing to meet the three boys' penetrating stares. He only lasted a few seconds before he broke. "Ame-chan, she—she was in love with the late master. Their relationship was kept a secret from everyone, but then she got pregnant. Daichi-sama refused to marry her or even accept the child as his own. His parents had already arranged for him to be engaged to Mariko-sama by that point, and she came from a very wealthy family." Tears prickled in Fujimoto's eyes. "Ame-chan was devastated."

Shinichi bowed his head. The last of the puzzle pieces had fallen into place now.

"I'm sorry," Fujimoto said, lowering his gaze. "I'll inform the others now; they have a right to know who killed the master."

Shinichi placed his hand on the old butler's arm. "Ah, wait a moment, Fujimoto-san." A faint smile curved his mouth. "I'd like everyone to listen to my deduction first."

* * *

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. Is Fujimoto really the killer? Will Hattori ever find out the truth about Kid? The next chapter reveals all!

Also, please point out typos. It's 3am and I can't be bothered editing. Got to get up for work in three hours. Eek. Oh, and reviews are most welcome. I'd love to hear your thoughts!


	11. The Red Oni of Uji: The Resolution

Huge, huge thank you to **It-Ended-At-3** for the amazing fanart! Also, thank you for letting me use it as the new cover image for this fic. I'm glad I can share it with everyone. :)

Just a heads up that there will be _Magic Kaitou_ spoilers in this chapter (specifically from the 'Midnight Crow' arc, volume 5, chapter 33). I really recommend that people get up to date withat least _Magic Kaitou_ if you want to keep reading this fic and not suffer spoilers, because the second half of _Switched_ is going to focus a lot on Kaito's "world" and I'm not going to tiptoe around canon. I will keep giving warnings for any new DC stuff I feature, but this will be your last warning for MK spoilers.

Right, authory stuff out of the way. Let's get this murder case resolved!

* * *

 **The Red Oni of Uji: The Resolution**

"Are you sure about this?" Hattori murmured, grabbing Shinichi's elbow to hold him back from following Fujimoto. "We still haven't been able to find conclusive evidence. Unless there's something you and that fake Kudo brat have been keeping from me."

Shinichi shook his head. "No, you're right."

"Then why—"

"Because the murderer already confessed to me," Shinichi answered with a grim smile. "That person just hasn't realised it yet."

Kid's eyes glinted in understanding. "Ah, the old 'brazen it out and hope for the best' plan. And here I thought you didn't like using such tactics."

Shinichi's mouth twitched. "You said it yourself: we just have to trust in our skills. Besides, Fujimoto-san has made up his mind."

"Well then, don't let me stand in your way," Kid said, making a sweeping gesture with his hand. "I'll leave the deduction show to the detectives."

"Actually, there is something you can do for me." Shinichi bent down and whispered his plan in the thief's ear.

Kid's mouth curved into a smile. "Now that I can do," he said, stepping back from the taller boy. "I'll get Himura-san to take me there now."

Shinichi nodded in thanks, then glanced at Hattori while Kid and the maid left the room. "Well?"

Hattori let out a breath. "Guess we don't have a choice." His eyes widened a fraction. "Ah, but it looks like the old man decided not to wait for you."

Shinichi frowned and turned to see Fujimoto bowing low to the Furukawa family. The confession slipped from Fujimoto's lips, explaining that he had been the one to kill Furukawa in order to get revenge for his niece, Ame, who had been cruelly abandoned by the master. Fujimoto had tried to put his anger behind him—to be a loyal retainer, as was expected—but seeing how Ayano had been forced to break off her engagement with Kyo because the man was an accountant had reminded Fujimoto of Ame all over again.

"I couldn't sit by idly any longer," Fujimoto said, shaking his head. "The master was never going to change. He destroyed my niece's life in order to get her out of the picture so he could marry Mariko-sama, and he was going to do the same to Kyo-san. At least now with the master gone, Ame-chan can rest in peace."

Shock held the household silent for a moment, but then the exclamations started spilling forth. The other retainers were incredulous. Natsumi declared that she had known all along there was something shady about the butler. Ichirou kept shaking his head and muttering something about how he couldn't believe it: Fujimoto had always been part of their family; the old man had practically helped to raise them. Even Ayano had lost her air of mocking flippancy; she looked small and pale, too subdued by her role in the confession to speak.

It all sounded so plausible. Except Shinichi knew that Fujimoto was not the murderer.

"I'm surprised that you waited thirty-seven years to do this," Mariko observed, cutting through the babble with her calm voice.

Shinichi repressed a smile. Trust Mariko to notice the discrepancy.

Fujimoto fidgeted with his handkerchief. "It is as I said."

"And the use of Hashihime's legend?" Mariko raised her eyebrow. "Were you planning to use that to put the blame on me?"

Beads of sweat formed on Fujimoto's forehead. "Yes."

There were more shocked gasps, but Mariko didn't so much as flinch. "What do you think, Detective Mouri?" she said, turning to Kogoro.

Kogoro blinked. "What do I think?" he repeated, a bit startled at being put on the spot. "Well, er, Fujimoto-san has confessed to the crime, so there's really nothing left to say. The police will take him into custody, and that will be the end of the matter."

A hint of relief mixed with resignation flickered in Fujimoto's eyes. Mariko stared at the butler intently for a moment before she shifted her gaze to Hattori and Shinichi. Her eyebrow lifted a fraction, as if to ask why the two of them were waiting. A quiet sense of appreciation swept through Shinichi for the older woman. For all that she appeared to be nothing more than a tea-loving old lady, she was certainly no fool.

Shinichi cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Are you really okay with this, Inoue-san?"

All eyes turned to the chauffeur. Nao shifted on his feet.

"What are you talking about?" Nao said with a faint crease on his brow. "Why would my opinion matter? It's as Detective Mouri said: Fujimoto-san confessed to the crime, so—"

"Ah, but you and I both know that Fujimoto-san is lying," Shinichi cut in smoothly.

Fujimoto tried to interject, but Mariko silenced the butler with a raised hand. "Let the boy speak," she said.

A muscle twitched in Nao's jaw. "I have no idea what this kid is talking about. Even if Fujimoto-san was lying, what has that got to do with me?"

"Perhaps because Fujimoto-san is covering for you," Shinichi suggested, still keeping his voice pleasant.

There was a tense pause as the people gathered in the room digested this information. Fujimoto opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to protest against the claim, but something in the hardening glances of those gathered kept him silent. Suspicion had been turned upon the chauffeur, just as Shinichi had intended.

Nao forced a laugh. "What nonsense is this?" He shook his head, plastering on a patronising smile. "I think you should leave the deductions to the real detective. It's clear that you're grasping at straws."

Shinichi's mouth curved slightly. "I'll admit that it puzzled me why you went to such elaborate lengths to kill Furukawa-san, but that was before I learnt the truth about Fujimoto-san's niece." He paused. "After all, she was your mother."

A cacophony of voices broke loose, angry and shocked. Shinichi held Nao's gaze, waiting for the other man to make the next move. There could be no rushing this deduction; just like in a game of shogi, the only way to win this battle of wits was to set traps to lure his opponent into making a mistake.

First tactic: hit hard and direct to shake his opponent.

Nao's fingers twitched as if he was resisting the urge to ball his hands into fists, but his expression remained calm. This was not a man who would give in easily, even when unsettled. No matter. Inoue Nao wasn't the only person Shinichi could utilise to get a confession.

"Fujimoto-san," Shinichi said, turning to the now sheet-white butler. "You claimed you murdered Furukawa-san because of the way he abandoned your niece when she got pregnant. However, the truth is that you realised what your grandnephew had done and lied to protect him, is that not right?"

The old man mopped his brow with his handkerchief. "I—" he broke off and cast an agonised glance at Nao.

"There is no need to hide your relationship," Mariko said. "I have known for a while that Inoue-kun is your grandnephew."

Ayano stepped forward, clenching her fists in open betrayal. "You knew, Mother? You knew this man is my half-brother?"

"I do a thorough background check on every person hired to work for the Furukawa household," Mariko answered. Her gaze shifted to Nao. "Your records state that your mother was Fujimoto Ame, though you were adopted into the Inoue family after her death. Your father's identity was not listed." Mariko shook her head. "I did not realise until tonight that you are my husband's son. I thought it was just a coincidence that you ended up working here—that perhaps you were not even aware of your relation to Fujimoto. It seems I was wrong."

Nao managed a smile, though the tightness of his jaw suggested that he was gritting his teeth. "I'll admit that Fujimoto Ame is my birth mother, but that doesn't make me a murderer."

"It does give you a motive," Shinichi pointed out.

Nao spread his hands. "Practically every member of this family has a motive. I don't understand why you want to make me the culprit. Besides, Fujimoto already confessed to the crime. Discussing the matter further is pointless."

Shinichi shared a glance with Hattori, who nodded his head. It was time for phase two: list the facts.

"Then perhaps you can explain why you lied about not understanding the meaning of the note found in Furukawa-san's pocket," Hattori said, and his lips quirked into a smile as he cast a sideways look at Shinichi. "What was it that he said again?"

"That he didn't know anything about Ame," Shinichi answered.

Nao shrugged. "It wasn't a lie; 'Ame' could have meant anything."

"That's right," Shinichi said with the quiet triumph of a predator who knows he has his prey cornered. "Ame could have meant anything. In fact, everyone else I questioned assumed I was talking about sweets or rain." His eyes glittered. "It's a bit strange, isn't it? Given your history and the nature of this case, you had more reason than anyone to piece together that 'Ame' might have been referring to your mother or at least a person's name, yet you didn't hesitate when you claimed ignorance."

Nao clenched his jaw. "So what? This is all just pointless speculation. I was unconscious when my father was murdered. You were there yourself; you saw Hashihime appear and the bridge explode. Tell me how I managed to do all of that when I wasn't even awake."

"That's simple," Shinichi said. "You were never unconscious in the first place."

Uehara stepped closer to the teen. "Ah, Kudo-san, you were the one who checked on Nao. You said yourself that he probably got knocked unconscious when the car crashed."

"That's certainly how Inoue-san wanted the situation to appear," Shinichi replied, unfazed. "The problem is the airbag. It got deployed when the car crashed into the post, but it had barely started to deflate when I checked on Inoue-san."

"Why is that an issue?" Kazuha asked, furrowing her brow.

"The gas that expands the airbag is designed to get released through small holes around the bag's edges," Shinichi explained. "This happens when the driver pushes against the airbag from the impact of the crash. By the time the car has stopped, the airbag should be completely deflated. Of course, there are exceptions, but the fact that Inoue-san also has no injuries is suspicious."

Nao folded his arms across his chest. "There's nothing suspicious about it. The crash just wasn't that bad."

"Maybe not," Shinichi allowed, "but airbags deploy so rapidly that it's common to get brush burns on your face and arms. There's also a chance that your wrists and hands will get bruised or cut from being forced away from the steering wheel."

"Inoue-san hasn't got any of those injuries," Kazuha observed.

"You're right!" Ran said, also staring at the chauffeur's unmarred hands and face.

Nao shoved his hands in his pockets. "I just got lucky."

"No, Inoue-san," Shinichi said coolly, "the truth is that you were not in the car when it crashed. The traces of powder left on your clothes and skin from the airbag are too minimal. It is more likely that you placed a weight on the accelerator to force the car into the post fast enough that the sudden deceleration caused the accelerometer to trigger the airbag. You didn't have to worry about Furukawa-san, because you had already stabbed him with the knife when he first got into the car. All you had to do after the crash was make it look like he had just been killed, throw away the weight—as well as the stained gloves and coat you wore to protect yourself from the blood—and then sit back in the driver's seat. Then you just pretended to be unconscious while you waited to be found."

The door to the parlour opened, distracting Nao from whatever he was going to say in reply. Kid and Himura stepped inside. Kid caught Shinichi's gaze and nodded. Perfect. Everything was in place now.

"Of course," Shinichi continued, shifting his attention back to the chauffeur, "you weren't content to stop there. You had previously set up remote-activated explosives and a dummy to make it appear like Hashihime, or at least someone other than yourself, had murdered Furukawa-san and blown up the bridge."

"What makes you think the oni was a dummy?" Nao questioned.

"I saw the wires holding the fake oni up before everything went boom," Kid explained in a chirpy voice. He bared his teeth in a smile that was a little too wolfish for a child. "By the way, that compartment under the floorboard in your room is really cool! Himura-neesan and I found lots of interesting things inside, like red paint and—"

Nao made a choked sound.

"—and coiled wire," Kid finished. His eyes shone with childish innocence. "Were you making a secret project?"

There was a tense pause as everyone realised what Kid was implying. Nao's jaw tightened.

"You can't talk your way out of this one, Inoue-san," Shinichi said calmly. "Even if Conan-kun had not found anything in your room, you haven't had the time to get rid of the remote you used to activate the dummy and explosions. It's probably still on you right now."

Uehara stared at his friend with wide eyes. "Nao?"

The chauffeur's lip curled. Before he could say anything, Fujimoto moved to stand in front of Nao with his arms spread out in a protective gesture.

"No!" Fujimoto exclaimed. "It was me! I killed Furukawa-sama! Nao-kun did nothing. The paint and wire that little boy found is just—"

"Enough," Nao said in a flat voice. "What the detective says is true." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, metallic device. It was the remote.

Fujimoto's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Nao-kun. I have failed you."

"The one you failed was my mother," Nao said bluntly. He raised his chin, meeting the stunned and horrified gazes being directed at him. "That's right. I killed Furukawa. That bastard abandoned my mother without a second thought just so he could get that woman's inheritance." He pointed at Mariko. "Their marriage was a sham from the start, but Mother was the one who had to suffer. She was shamed and shunned, turned away by her own family for getting pregnant out of wedlock. She lost everything." Nao's eyes darkened with bitterness. "I was four years old when she committed suicide."

Fujimoto made an odd groaning sound and muttered something over and over. It sounded like he was begging for Ame's forgiveness.

"Save your apologies, old man," Nao spat, his lip curling in contempt. "It's too late."

"How can you speak to Fujimoto-san like that?" Uehara demanded, staring at his friend as if seeing him for the first time. "Fujimoto-san tried to protect you! He would have gone to prison for you!"

"Protect me?" Nao laughed. "That old fool was just trying to ease his own guilty conscience. He did nothing to help my mother, his precious 'Ame-chan'. He even kept working for the bastard who drove her to suicide!"

Mariko's eyes dawned with understanding. "You were always going to place the blame on Fujimoto."

"That's right," Nao said with a vicious smile. "Through Hashihime, I took on the mantle of revenge in my mother's place."

Shinichi's expression betrayed no emotion as he listened to Nao explain his plan to slaughter the Furukawa household. Nao said it would have been poetic: the old butler who turned his back on his own family for a corrupt, backstabbing household would be forced to watch it all crumble and burn. Nao had planned to kill himself last, leaving Fujimoto to take the blame for everything. It was messed up. It was sickening. Shinichi was glad when Kogoro dragged the chauffeur, still laughing in an unhinged manner, out of the parlour to be put in a temporary holding room until the police arrived. Uehara and Tanaka followed to help keep guard.

"Well," Kid said quietly enough so only Shinichi and Hattori could hear, "that was unpleasant."

Shinichi nodded. The case had been solved, but it was alarming to think of what Nao had been planning. It was as if Hashihime really had taken possession of the chauffeur, brought to life through his rage and pain to create a blood bath of revenge. It was no surprise that the Furukawa household had been badly shaken. Even cold, prickly Natsumi was leaning against Ichirou, trying to find comfort in the simple act of human contact.

Hattori frowned. "I'm going to see if I can get the phone lines reconnected. We can't do anything further until the police arrive."

"Good idea," Shinichi agreed.

The last thing they needed was to be trapped at the mansion with a crazed man bent on revenge.

Kid shoved his hands in his pockets. "Oh, I already took care of that. You all seemed caught up with playing detective, so I took the liberty of reconnecting the wires myself. The police should be here soon with a helicopter."

Hattori blinked a few times at the smaller boy, but Shinichi wasn't even surprised. Knowing how to navigate electrical wiring came with the territory of being a phantom thief. So, Shinichi just thanked Kid and then proceeded to carry out post-deduction "clean-up" protocol. Such duties were usually left for the police, but this time it fell to the two detectives to tie up loose ends and make sure the "civilians" had not been too traumatised. Luckily, Ran and Kazuha were there to help offer reassurance and support.

It had been a long night for everyone. Shinichi had to admit that he would be relieved when he could say goodbye to Uji.

 **oOo**

"So, it was Mariko-san who wrote you the letter," Shinichi said much later, idly shuffling a deck of cards as he waited for Hattori to join him at the table.

"Yeah," Hattori replied. "Apparently, I have quite the name in these parts for solving cases about demons and monsters."

Shinichi's mouth twitched. "You do seem to run into a lot of them."

"You're one to talk." Hattori finished tying the obi to his complimentary yukata. "Anyway, I'm just glad we didn't get stuck there for the night. That sallow-faced woman was getting on my nerves."

Shinichi made a noncommittal sound of agreement. It had taken several helicopter trips to get everyone evacuated from the manor since all road access had been destroyed with the bridge. Nao and Fujimoto had been taken into custody by the Kyoto prefecture police: Nao to be charged with murder, while Fujimoto was likely to be given a minor sentence for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Everyone else had been relocated to a ryokan in Uji, including the three detectives and their companions. Mariko had offered to pay for their expenses as thanks for solving the case. It was a small comfort to Kogoro, who had lost the chance to earn the large sum he had been promised when Furukawa got murdered.

"Guess the girls are still enjoying the onsen," Hattori observed, sitting down on a cushion opposite Shinichi. "That little brat better not be with them."

Shinichi smiled. "If you're meaning the current Conan-kun, I last saw him with Himura-san and Mariko-san in the communal area. They seem to have taken a liking to him."

In fact, Himura had gushed at length at how clever the "little boy" was for discovering the compartment hidden beneath Nao's bedroom floor. Something about noticing the subtle difference in the sound of their footsteps.

Hattori folded his across his chest. "You're really not going to tell me who that boy is, are you?"

Before Shinichi could respond, the doors slid open and Kid walked in with a scowl. "I can't believe you left me with those women," the thief said by way of greeting. "Some niichan you are."

Shinichi laughed. "Sorry. You didn't seem to mind their company."

"It's called acting," Kid said tartly. He sat down next to Shinichi and noticed the deck of cards. "What are you playing?"

"We were going to have a round of Two-Ten-Jack, but we can play Daifugo instead if you want." Shinichi paused when he noticed he had started shuffling the cards in a particularly complicated manner. His fingers fumbled, and some of the cards slipped from his grasp.

"Careful," Kid said, picking up the fallen cards.

Shinichi accepted the cards and then passed the whole deck to Hattori. "Maybe you should deal."

It was a bit unnerving to find himself falling into habits that were not his own. Now he understood what Kid had meant when the smaller boy had claimed it was instinct that had let him pull off that kick with the soccer ball. If Shinichi's own body was hardwired to react with his feet, Kid's was most definitely centred in his hands. The fingers were so nimble, so quick to perform faster-than-the-eye-could-see tricks. It was a difficult quirk to shake off, even for Shinichi.

Hattori stared at both boys with unsettling shrewdness. The moment probably only lasted a second, but it felt too long to Shinichi. "Alright," Hattori said with a shrug, gathering the cards into his hand. "Daifugo it is."

The cards were dealt and the three boys began to play. Kid actually didn't cheat this time—hell must have frozen over somewhere—so Shinichi didn't lose as terribly as he had when he had played against Kid on the train. Not that either of them were having fun. Tense was a better description for their game. Hattori kept staring; the Osakan wasn't even making a secret of it. First it was at Shinichi's hands, but then he'd fixed his attention on Kid, as if he could peel away the secret of the boy's identity just by looking. Shinichi was glad when Ran and Kazuha joined them.

"Has anyone seen Dad?" Ran asked, glancing around the room as if she might catch a glimpse of the moustached detective. "I hope he's not bothering Ayano-san again."

"He was getting drunk on sake the last time I saw him," Kid said, not glancing up from where he sat rearranging his cards.

"Oh, Daifugo!" Kazuha exclaimed. "Heiji, deal again so Ran-chan and I can play!"

Ran held her hands up in an apologetic gesture. "Ah, actually, I better go check on Dad."

"I'll come with you," Shinichi said, getting to his feet. "Here, Kazuha, you can take my place." He placed his cards in the Osakan girl's hands.

Kid shot him a sharp look, which Shinichi ignored. Contrary to what the thief was no doubt thinking, Shinichi just wanted a break from Hattori's stares and suspicions. The wink Kazuha threw at Ran was much more difficult to ignore. Shinichi was not able to stop the heat from rising to his cheeks. Geez, all he was doing was accompanying Ran to go find her drunken father. It wasn't like they were going on a date.

"Ready?" Shinichi muttered.

Ran nodded, also blushing. The two made a hasty retreat from the room. Unfortunately, the awkwardness followed them out into the corridor. Damn that Kid and Kazuha. It was all their fault.

Shinichi kept his gaze fixed ahead, walking side by side with Ran through the ryokan. His hand accidentally brushed against hers. "Sorry," he said, quickly pulling away from the contact.

Ran slipped her hand back in his, intertwining their fingers. Shinichi's head whipped around to stare at her in surprise.

"You said we should take it slower," she informed him calmly, though a light dusting of pink stained her cheeks. "Holding hands is fine, right?"

Shinichi swallowed, hoping that the heat he could feel spreading on his cheeks did not mean his blush was as bad as it felt. "Sure," he said. "I don't mind if you don't."

She smiled for answer. Just the sight made his stomach flutter and his heart quicken. He wondered if it was such a good idea for them to be holding hands. Sometimes, Ran was too cute for her own good.

Shinichi shook his head, trying to pull his thoughts together. This was not the time to get distracted. Lucky—or not so lucky for him, depending on how one looked at it—Kogoro chose that moment to stumble into their path. The older man's suit was rumpled and his necktie was tied around his head. Never a good sign. The stench of sake on his breath clinched the matter.

"Ran-chan!" Kogoro exclaimed, reaching out with his arms as if to embrace his daughter.

Shinichi quickly released Ran's hand; he did not need a drunken Kogoro on his case. Ran didn't seem to mind the loss of contact. She was too busy scolding her father for drinking so much.

"You always do this!" she complained. "Geez, when are you going to start behaving more responsibly?"

Kogoro stared at her for a long moment through hazy eyes. He blinked, then started babbling about Eri. Ran sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Let's get him to the room," Shinichi suggested. "We'll give him some water and he can sleep it off."

Ran agreed to this plan, so they each wrapped an arm around Kogoro, holding the drunken detective up between them, and then walked him back to their room. To Shinichi's surprise, Kazuha was the only one inside. Two sets of cards had been left on the low table, as if discarded by their owners in a hurry.

"Where's Hattori and Conan-kun?" he asked.

"Conan-kun got a phone call," Kazuha said, resting her chin on her hand. "Heiji went to go check on him, I think."

Shinichi bit back a curse and quickly freed himself from Kogoro. "Sorry, Ran. Do you think you can manage from here?"

"Sure, but—"

"Thanks," Shinichi said, already heading for the door. "I'll be back in a bit."

He dashed down the corridor, his mouth dry. His worst fears were confirmed when he caught sight of Hattori standing with his back to a wall, peering around the corner as if to spy on someone. A low voice drifted to Shinichi's ears. The speaker was clearly trying to be as quiet as possible, but the walls in the ryokan were thin and it didn't help that the boy—no, _Kid_ —was clearly getting frustrated with whoever was on the other end of the line.

"You've always gone at your own pace," Kid was saying. "I've accepted that; hell, I've had no choice but to accept it, but this is too much! It's been three weeks since the Midnight Crow heist. _Three weeks_. Did it not occur to you that maybe I deserve more than a vague letter?"

There was a pause as the person on the other end of the line responded. Shinichi took the chance to move closer, too curious to pay heed to the inner voice that told him it was wrong to eavesdrop on private conversations. Hattori spotted him and shifted in panic, but Shinichi just raised his finger to his lips. Together, they peered around the wall.

"Do I sound upset?" Kid said with a choked sort of laugh. The smaller boy was pacing in obvious agitation, one hand clutching the bowtie while the other held the phone to his ear. "Gee, Mum, why do you think that might be?"

"Mum?" Shinichi mouthed in a silent echo. Kid was talking to his mum?

"Screw poker face!" Kid hissed. "I don't care about any of that right now! I just want the truth! Who is Corbeau?"

Another pause. More pacing.

"Don't!" Kid sucked in a breath, forcing himself to soften his voice. "Please, don't hang up. You've been deflecting and ignoring me for three weeks, and I just—I just need to know. _Please_."

Shinichi shifted uncomfortably. He had never heard Kid beg. Hell, he'd never heard Kid betray even a fraction of the emotion that the boy was displaying now. Kid was always so composed, so carefree with his smiles and silver-tongued manner. Then again, Shinichi had seen for himself that the unflappable persona of Kaitou Kid was just an act. The real boy behind the monocle—the one whose name Shinichi did not know—was much more complicated.

"He looked like Dad," Kid said in an oddly vulnerable tone. "That Corbeau bastard wore Dad's face, spoke in Dad's voice, and you know what he said? Because he knew that disguise would shock me the most." Kid tightened his grip on the bowtie, and his breathing hitched a little. "I know you were part of the plan—maybe even masterminded it. Did you even stop to consider my feelings? I've thought and thought about it, and there are only two explanations for how you knew about the heating pads: either you are Corbeau or you let some bastard dress up as Dad just to sabotage me. So, which is it?"

The pause was especially long this time.

"Don't!" Kid snapped. "Don't tell me it was for my own good. You could have done anything else. You didn't have to play some sick mind game and make me question whether Dad is actually dead!"

Another long pause.

"How did you—" Kid broke off, casting a glance up and down the corridor. His voice lowered to a hiss. "How did you think I was going to react? You turned up out of the blue, sabotaged my heist with Kaitou Corbeau, and then you ditched me for Las Vegas on the same night and left me with a letter! A _letter_ , Mum!"

She must have tried to justify her actions, because the boy let out a snort that could only be described as contemptuous. "Here's a novel idea: next time just call me and tell me that you're concerned. It's what a normal parent would do."

Kid pushed the button to end the call. There was a moment where he just stood there, his hands trembling and his breathing uneven. Then the boy slipped the phone and bowtie into his pocket. He visibly pieced together his poker face: every trace of frustration smoothed away, every tremor stilled. It was like a switch had been flicked. Kid had once more become the carefree boy who never allowed anything to shake his equanimity.

Except Shinichi had seen the truth. He and Hattori had both seen it, not to mention heard far too much.

Kid shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking casually towards them. Hattori stepped out from behind the wall and blocked the smaller boy's path. The Osakan's expression was grim.

"You're Kaitou Kid, aren't you?" Hattori stated.

Kid raised his eyebrow. "More ridiculous theories? I thought you called yourself a detective."

Hattori folded his arms across his chest. "Give it up, Kid. We heard everything."

"We?"

Kid glanced past the Osakan and then his eyes widened. Shinichi sucked in a breath. Maybe he should have listened to the inner voice that had told him not to eavesdrop, because right now he felt like he had kicked a puppy. A really cute puppy.

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" Kid said flatly.

Shinichi shifted on his feet. He would have liked to have blamed the knot of guilt wriggling in his stomach on the fact that Kid looked like, well, a kid. However, the truth was much simpler. This tiny boy in front of him—a thief _,_ at that—had expected more from him, and Shinichi had just broken that trust. It was right there spelled out in the betrayal and disappointment flickering in Kid's eyes.

Oh, hell. This was not going to be good.

* * *

Omg, this took forever to write. I'm so sorry for the delay. Let it be known that I hate writing deductions and murder cases. Never again!

In any case, it's 6:11am, I've had no sleep, and this is unedited. Let me know if you spot typos and I will go back and fix them. But, for now, this is Boogum signing out to get some sweet, glorious sleep.


	12. You're You

Apologies for the wait! Have been crazy busy with work.

* * *

 **You're You**

Hattori propped his chin on his hands and stared at the two boys with a thoughtful expression. "So, you somehow managed to switch bodies."

Shinichi nodded. He was careful not to say too much about the situation, conscious of the fact that Kid was already pissed off with him. Even now he could feel the thief's eyes digging a hole into his head, though Kid's expression remained utterly flat. It was almost worse than Haibara's X-Ray Glare of Evil. Almost. Shinichi squirmed. Little knots of guilt twisted in his stomach. He wasn't sure what had made Kid angrier: the fact that he had eavesdropped on a private conversation or that he had allowed Hattori to listen in with him. Either way, it was obvious that Kid was not happy. The thief had always liked his privacy.

Hattori leaned closer to Shinichi. "So, this is really Kaitou Kid's body." He peered intently at the other boy's face.

"You're wasting your time," Kid drawled, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall. "It's just a disguise. Do you really think I'd let this idiot wander around with my real face?"

Shinichi shot a quick glance at Kid. Aside from the fact he'd just been called an idiot, they both knew that there was no disguise. Not that Kid bothered to acknowledge him. The smaller boy just stared at Hattori with that same flat look, as if daring him to challenge the statement. Hattori pursed his lips.

"Geez, Kudo, this brat has got a worse attitude than you," Hattori observed. "Is he always like this?"

Shinichi rubbed the back of his neck. The truth was that Kid had been a pretty easy-going guy for the most part. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had caused the change.

"Well, whatever," Hattori continued when it became obvious that neither boy was going to speak. He folded his arms across his chest. "So, what do we do now?"

" _We_ don't do anything," Kid said coolly. "This has nothing to do with you."

A dusting of colour spread on Hattori's cheeks. "Kudo is my friend! You can damn well bet it has something to do with me!"

"Hattori." Shinichi stepped forward and placed his hand on the other detective's shoulder. "Can you give us a moment?"

Hattori's eyes flashed with betrayal. "What?"

Shinichi gave him a warning look. It was a silent message that made it clear for Hattori to leave without a fuss, because the conversation was going to go nowhere if he stuck around. Kid would only get more antagonistic.

Hattori sighed. "Fine. I'll be waiting in the room."

The Osakan walked off down the hallway, leaving Shinichi and Kid alone. Silence settled between the two boys like a tension-charged weight. Shinichi scuffed his slipper against the floor. The silence got heavier.

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping," he said after a moment.

Kid blew his fringe out of his eyes. "You're a detective. Snooping is what you do."

"Says the thief."

The quip didn't earn so much as a twitch from Kid. No smile. No retort. Instead, Kid just let out a breath and stepped away from the wall. "You'll have to excuse me, Detective-kun," he said, turning his back to Shinichi. "I'm really not in the mood to help you alleviate your conscience right now."

"I wasn't trying to— _Kid_." Shinichi grabbed the smaller boy by the wrist, stopping him from walking away. "Hey, wait."

Kid turned the full force of that flat gaze on him. Geez, it really was on par with Haibara's X-Ray Glare of Evil. Just as cold. Just as guilt-inducing.

"I'm sorry," Shinichi said. "It was stupid of me to listen in on your conversation with your mum."

The blue eyes behind the glasses narrowed. Oops. Bringing up Kid's mum had not been a good idea.

"Uh, I mean—" Shinichi floundered for a moment and then swore under his breath. "Look, I know I made a mistake, okay? You didn't want Hattori to find out your identity, and now he has, and I know that's my fault."

"You're right," Kid agreed, shrugging his wrist out of Shinichi's grip. "It is your fault."

"Right, and I'm really sorry about that. It's just—I mean, I just wanted to make sure, uh—"

Kid heaved a sigh. "What are you trying to say, Detective-kun?" He folded his arms across his chest and looked in the other direction. "Just spit it out already."

Shinichi hesitated. "You are okay, right?"

His voice was soft, but the words still made Kid tense like a cat who had been prodded in a spot he did not like. Slowly, Kid turned to face the taller boy. The blank slate look was gone from the thief's expression; instead, his mouth had twisted slightly.

"What?" Kid's hand twitched, as if he was resisting the urge to curl his fingers into a fist. "What kind of question is that?"

Shinichi swallowed. He had definitely got Kid's hackles raised, but it was too late to turn back now. "The phone call," he said, glancing down at his feet. "It didn't sound like it was a good one."

Kid inhaled sharply.

"I'm not going to demand answers," Shinichi was quick to add. "You don't have to explain anything. I just—I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Silence. Shinichi risked a glance at the other boy and found Kid staring at him with an unreadable expression. Warmth tingled on his cheeks. Ah, geez, this was so awkward. He knew that he should have just kept his mouth shut.

"Forget it," Shinichi muttered, turning the other way. "I only asked because—"

Because his parents had done something similar. Because he knew what it was like to be left alone and to feel sabotaged by the people who were supposed to take care of you. Because Kid had sort of maybe become a friend, and Shinichi hated to see the people he cared about upset.

Ah, hell, there were too many reasons.

"Just forget it," Shinichi repeated, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You probably want to be alone, right? I'll head back to the room then. Oh, and don't worry about Hattori. I'll make sure he doesn't blab anything."

He paused for a moment, just to see if Kid would say anything. The other boy remained silent. Shinichi repressed a sigh and continued walking.

"Hey, Detective-kun."

Relief fluttered in Shinichi's chest. He plastered a neutral expression on his face. "Yeah?" he said, glancing over his shoulder.

A soccer ball hit him in the face. He swore and raised a hand to his nose.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed, trying to stem the blood that was already beginning to trickle free. "What was that for?"

"Compensation."

Shinichi spluttered a response (because, damn it, that was going to bruise and how was he going to explain his injury to everyone?). He glowered at the smaller boy. "You little bastard. Did you forget that this is your face?"

"Oh, calm down," Kid said, rolling his eyes. "It wasn't even a powered up kick."

"I was trying to apologise and you just attacked me!"

Kid spread his hands in a shrug. "Then you should have dodged." He flashed a grin and turned on his heel, wishing Shinichi a lazy good night as he headed back towards their room.

Shinichi glowered at the boy's retreating figure. Not that his irritation lasted long. True, his nose was still bleeding and hurt like hell, and there was no doubt that Kid still felt some hostility towards him (the soccer ball was kind of a giveaway), but Shinichi thought he had got the message.

Just this once, Kid would let the matter slide. It wasn't a perfect "apology accepted", but it was a start.

 **oOo**

Hattori let out a low whistle. "What happened to your face?"

"Shut up," Shinichi muttered, closing the door behind him.

The bleeding still had not stopped, so he had shoved two bits of tissue up his nostrils. It didn't help that his face was looking a bit red from where the ball had hit him. The bruise was not going to be pretty. If anything, he supposed he should consider himself lucky that his nose had not been broken, though since it was Kid's own face that had been attacked, Shinichi guessed the thief must have taken that into consideration.

Shinichi collapsed on the cushion next to Hattori and let out a sigh. Not far from them, Kogoro lay sprawled on his futon, mouth hanging wide open, and snoring like a pack of chainsaws. Ugh, drunk snoring was the worst. It was going to be hard to get any sleep tonight.

"I take it your conversation with the brat didn't go well," Hattori said, leaning his elbow against the table.

"It went better than I expected, actually." Shinichi glanced around the room. "Where is he anyway? He should have got back here before me."

Hattori shrugged. "Beats me. The kid didn't come back in."

A crease formed on Shinichi's brow. He could have sworn that Kid had headed in the direction of their room.

"Well, I'm sure he will turn up sooner or later," Shinichi said, pushing the matter aside. No doubt Kid wanted to be alone for a while. He frowned at the two vacated cushions opposite him. "What happened to Ran and Kazuha?"

Hattori spread his hands. "They got all creepy and started whispering and giggling with each other." He scratched his nose. "And, uh, I may have annoyed Kazuha. She left in a huff."

Shinichi raised his eyebrow. "You really do put your foot in your mouth every time you're around her, don't you?"

"Shut it, Tissue Boy. You're no Casanova yourself."

"At least I admitted my feelings to Ran." Shinichi picked up one of the cards and idly twirled it round his finger. "When are you going to tell Kazuha that you like her?"

Splotches of colour formed on Hattori's cheeks. "I'm waiting for the right moment."

"Never knew you were such a romantic."

"Shut it!" Hattori snapped, taking a swipe at him.

Shinichi dodged the blow with a chuckle, but he sobered a moment later. "Word of advice? Don't wait around forever. Unlike me, you can actually be with the girl you like. That isn't something to waste."

Hattori blinked. "Getting a bit deep there, Kudo."

Shinichi just shrugged. Maybe. He'd been given a lot to think about since he'd shrunk to the size of a first grader.

"Anyway, I thought you and Ran-san were making progress," Hattori said, furrowing his brow. "At least, that's what Kazuha made it sound like. She said you were all official now."

A sigh escaped Shinichi's lips. "Only because I'm in this body. I can't do a thing when I'm Conan."

"Kid doesn't mind?"

"He minds a lot, actually," Shinichi admitted. "He made me promise not to do anything with Ran." A shrug. "I guess I can't blame him."

Hattori was quiet for a moment. "That guy … are you sure you can trust him? I know he's helped you out in the past, but he is still a criminal."

Shinichi twirled the card faster around his fingers. He stopped it so the front was facing him, revealing a grinning Joker. "Honestly, I don't think he is the kind of person you can ever completely trust. He's intelligent, unpredictable, and he lives by his own moral code; that's a dangerous combination." A faint smile curved Shinichi's lips. "But do I trust him with my life? Yeah, I do. Whatever you might think of his methods, that guy would never let any real harm come to me."

"I suppose he is a good ally to have in a pinch," Hattori allowed. "Still, his attitude sucks."

"He's not that bad. He was just upset tonight because we eavesdropped on his phone call."

Hattori rubbed his chin in thought. "I remember reading about the Midnight Crow heist. It was all over the news because that Corbeau guy challenged Kid."

Shinichi nodded. He didn't religiously attend heists, but he had taken up the habit of keeping track of Kid's movements through news articles. It was difficult not to be intrigued by the thief, especially for a detective like him.

Kaitou Kid came across as a thrill-seeking magician who enjoyed breaking the law and pitting himself against the police for the sake of alleviating his boredom. He stole jewels only to return them. He had the skills to break into any room, any safe, and never leave a trace that he was there except for an empty jewel slot, yet he chose to give notices to the police to warn of upcoming heists. It wasn't typical criminal behaviour. It suggested Kid actually didn't care about the jewels he stole; all he wanted was an adrenaline rush and an audience. Still, Shinichi's instincts whispered there was something else behind the magic shows and the playful cat and mouse act Kid had going on with the Task Force. Tonight had only confirmed his suspicions.

Shinichi tossed the Joker card back onto the pile. "I don't know what Kid's real goal is, but it's clear it's not as simple as stealing jewels. Aside from being challenged by Corbeau, the Midnight Crow heist stood out because there was evidence another party outside the police and the two thieves had attended the heist."

"You're talking about the bullet holes and the shoes that had been frozen to the ground, right?"

Shinichi nodded. "It's not the first time something like that happened at a heist, but there's also the issue of Corbeau himself. Kid implied his mother had something to do with the thief, but I can't believe that Kaitou Corbeau is just some disguise she cooked up to deter her son from stealing. I checked Corbeau's background, and the thief was active in Las Vegas quite some time before the Midnight Crow heist."

"His mum could have just adopted the identity," Hattori pointed out. "It's not like people haven't stolen Kid's persona to commit crimes."

"True, but the fact remains that both thieves only target a specific kind of jewel. Either Kid's mother is a very meticulous planner and didn't want to raise her son's suspicions when she had Corbeau challenge Kid, or the two of them are actually working towards the same goal, just in different countries."

Hattori's brow creased. "You've really given this some thought."

"It bothers me," Shinichi admitted.

Kid had hinted once in a rare moment of openness that his mother was the Phantom Lady: the legendary thief also known as the Woman of Twenty Faces. That thief had disappeared in Paris not long before Shinichi was born. If she had stopped simply because she had given birth to her son, the abrupt retirement made sense. However, Shinichi had pieced together that Kaitou Kid had only started holding heists after the Phantom Lady had retired. Before that, Kid had never even existed. Add in the eight year gap where Kid had stopped holding heists, and the pieces of the puzzle at last started to fall into place.

"Kid, his parents, the unnamed men with guns who attend his heists, and the jewels," Shinichi murmured. "They're all connected."

He would bet his entire inheritance that the current Kid was actually the son of the man who had first donned the white suit and monocle. For whatever reason, the original Kid had decided to take up his wife's mantle as a thief, allowing her to retire. That arrangement continued until eight years ago when, Shinichi could only assume, Kid's father died. Judging from what he had overheard tonight, the circumstances surrounding that man's death were ambiguous enough that the current Kid had considered the possibility that his father might still be alive. Kid had also been furious with his mother and whoever had dressed up as Corbeau for making him think thus.

" _Don't tell me it was for my own good. You could have done anything else. You didn't have to play some sick mind game and make me question whether Dad is actually dead!"_

Shinichi stared at the grinning Joker card he had discarded. No, Kaitou Kid was no ordinary criminal. There was a reason that large jewels had to be stolen. Just as there was a reason the Phantom Lady had come out of retirement to either become Corbeau or at least use said persona to warn her son against continuing his heists—especially since she had returned to Las Vegas as soon as Kid made it clear he wasn't going to quit.

 _It's an ugly job, but someone has got to do it._

The old adage popped into Shinichi's mind. He could see all the dots connecting and pointing to a single truth: that Kaitou Kid existed simply because those men with guns existed. It was so obvious that Shinichi wondered why he hadn't seen it before. Of course Kid sent little notes to the police and put on grand magic shows; he purposely tried to make his heists as public as possible because it was safer for him that way. Maybe he was even trying to give opportunities for the police to catch the men who targeted him.

Because those men were indeed dangerous.

Because someone had died doing the magician under the moonlight's job before.

Shinichi let out a small breath. Geez, the guy wasn't just an obnoxious thief; he was a damned vigilante. It explained why Corbeau was nothing more than a shadow version of Kid; the son had chosen to revive the legendary phantom thief and don the white suit, but the wife had preferred the role of a phantom thief's ghost. Both had the same goal, because both had been born from the same persona. Now, only two questions remained: who were the men with guns, and why were those jewels specifically being targeted?

The door to the room slid open. Shinichi looked up to see Ran and Kazuha enter, followed by a dull-eyed Kid. It seemed the girls had found the thief while they had been walking. Ran must have used the "little boys can't walk around at night alone" card to force him to return with them.

"I'm going to sleep," Kid announced.

He marched past Shinichi and Hattori and clambered into his futon, pulling the blanket up over his head. Ran sat down next to Shinichi. She paused when she noticed the bloody tissues sticking out of his nostrils.

"What happened to your face?" she asked.

"Soccer ball," Shinichi said truthfully. "Conan-kun was showing me some of his moves. I didn't react fast enough."

Ran frowned and glanced at the small lump where Kid lay hidden under the blankets. She leaned in closer to Shinichi. "Hey, do you know what's wrong with Conan-kun?" Her voice was low so only he could hear. "He kept saying he was fine, but he really doesn't look well. I'm worried he might have got some bad news from his mother."

Shinichi swallowed, trying his best not to get distracted by the fact that he could feel her breath on his ear or that she smelt really, really good. "I wouldn't worry about it too much," he said. "The kid is probably just tired. It's been a long day for everyone."

Even if Ran had been spot on the mark with her guess.

"I suppose you're right," Ran said, staring down at her hands. "I forget sometimes that Conan-kun is still just a kid." A rueful smile curved her mouth. "I actually thought he was you at one point."

Shinichi's heart thumped against his ribs. He plastered on a surprised expression. "Me? What the heck, Ran?"

"It sounds stupid when I'm sitting next to you like this," she admitted, "but there's been so many strange things happening of late." She let out a breath. "I'm worried: about Conan-kun, about you, about the little girl who lives with the professor." Her eyes met his, and she leaned even closer, placing her hand on his knee. "You will tell me if you're in trouble, right?"

Shinichi swallowed. "Ran."

"Geez, Kudo, get a room."

Hattori's amused comment had the two springing apart. Both were blushing, only having just realised how close they had been to each other. Shinichi exhaled and tried to calm his racing heart. He really had to watch himself around Ran; he was finding it far too easy to get caught up with her in their own little bubble.

Kazuha smacked Hattori upside the head. "Heiji, you idiot! Why'd you go and interrupt?"

Now it was Hattori's turn to flush. "Crazy woman. What are you hitting me for?"

"Because you and your big mouth always ruin everything!"

"Who's got the big mouth? You're the one shouting!"

Shinichi pressed his palm to his forehead, even as Ran covered her mouth to smother a giggle. Those two were like the pot and kettle calling each other black. Apparently, someone else agreed. Kid emerged from the covers and told both Osakans that they should lower their voices, because waking up Kogoro would be a bad idea. No one could argue with this logic.

"Guess we should just call it a night," Hattori said, sharing a sheepish glance with Kazuha.

"I suppose," Kazuha agreed. "I am pretty sleepy."

Ran smiled and murmured a soft goodnight to Shinichi before heading to her own futon. Shinichi didn't budge. He was too busy staring at Kid, who was still sitting up in the bed, all ruffle-haired and looking ridiculously young without his glasses. Their eyes met.

 _What are you really trying to achieve?_ Shinichi wanted to ask. _Why do you keep risking your life to steal jewels?_

Was it just for revenge? Or was there a nobler purpose?

Kid's expression revealed nothing of his thoughts. He broke eye contact and lay back down on his futon, not bothering to spare another glance for the detective. Shinichi tried not to feel disappointed. He knew he could probably uncover the truth about Kid and Corbeau if he dug deep enough, but for the second time he found himself hesitating.

 _"Aren't you worried?"_

 _Kid raised his eyebrows. "Worried about what?"_

 _"I know what you look like now … I can easily find out your real identity."_

" _Maybe I just trusted that you_ weren't _that determined … Besides, at the end of the day, you're_ you _."_

Shinichi sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Geez, he really was getting soft.


	13. Time Bomb

By this point, I really hope I don't need to give spoiler warnings regarding Akai/Subaru/Sera, but hey. Spoilery stuff ahead.

* * *

 **Time Bomb**

The train ride back was quiet. After saying goodbye to Hattori and Kazuha, Shinichi and the others boarded the shinkansen bound for Tokyo and were lucky enough to find seats close together. This time, however, Kid buried his head in his phone and ignored them all. Kogoro was nursing a hangover as well, so that ruled him out for conversation. Shinichi was glad when they reached Tokyo.

"I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow," Ran said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Shinichi blinked. Right. He was in a teenager's body now. It wouldn't make sense for him to go to elementary school.

"I guess," he said, rubbing the base of his neck. "It's been a while since we were in class together, huh?"

She planted her hands on her hips. "That's because you're always off disappearing, you detective geek!" She jabbed her finger into his chest. "Your studies are just as important as cases, you know?"

He winced. "I know, I know."

She glowered at him for a moment but then smiled, shrugging off her irritation. "Well, anyway, everyone will be happy to see you."

Shinichi gave a noncommittal answer. The prickling sensation at the centre of his spine told him that Kid was staring holes into his back. It was awkward. After all, the only reason Shinichi could return to his normal life was because he and the thief had swapped bodies. For Kid, being stuck with the Conan Curse was bound to cause a little resentment—especially after yesterday's eavesdropping fiasco.

Shinichi's suspicions seemed to be correct, as a small hand latched onto his wrist. "Come here for a moment, Shinichi-niichan."

Shinichi allowed himself to be pulled away from Kogoro and Ran. "What's up?" he said, once he and Kid were out of earshot.

"How long are you going to let this charade drag on?" Kid demanded bluntly.

"Huh?"

"I'm saying that this isn't the time to be thinking of school and playing the good boyfriend." Kid folded his arms across his chest. "I've played along so far, but it's time to stop mucking around."

Shinichi raised his eyebrow. "Aren't you being a little unreasonable? We've both been researching and trying to find a way to get our bodies back. We just don't have any solid leads, so—"

"That's why we need to stop wasting time," Kid interrupted. "I told you, Detective-kun, I can't be Edogawa Conan forever. You've indulged enough."

A few creases formed on Shinichi's brow. "This is about yesterday, isn't it?"

Kid twitched.

"You're still mad at me for listening to that phone call. Look, I said I was sorry and I meant it. I'll respect your privacy from now on."

The smaller boy's eyes went cold. "This has nothing to do with that."

"Doesn't it?"

They stared at each other for a long moment. Kid was the first to look away.

"Just remember what's really important here," Kid muttered. "You winning points with your girlfriend or actually getting our bodies back to normal?"

Without a further word, he turned on his heel and headed back to Kogoro and Ran. Shinichi's mouth twisted. He understood that Kid was on edge, but still. Shinichi really had been trying to figure out a way to fix their body switch. It wasn't like he spent all his time thinking of Ran.

Shinichi sighed and joined the others. It was expected that "Conan" would go back with Ran and Kogoro. That didn't work for either boy, so Shinichi offered to have "Conan" stay with him at his house. At least while he was in Tokyo.

"We don't get to see each other that often," Shinichi explained. "It'll be good for us to spend time together."

Which was a lie. In all honesty, he would have preferred a break from Kid. Things were so tense between them at the moment that it was just uncomfortable. Unfortunately, they needed to stick together until they could get their bodies back to normal. Plus, a part of Shinichi wanted to prove that he was serious.

Kogoro lit up a cigarette. "All the brat does is freeload and get in the way of my cases," he said bluntly. "You can keep him."

"Dad!" Ran scolded.

Shinichi repressed a smile. He knew Kogoro well enough to know that the detective, for all his rudeness, actually felt a lot of affection for the "freeloader brat". Such words didn't bother Shinichi. They didn't bother Kid either.

"It's okay, Ran-neechan," Kid said with a childish smile. "I want to stay with Shinichi-niichan anyway."

Ran glanced at her friend. "Will you be alright?"

Shinichi raised his eyebrow. "I've been taking care of myself since my parents went to America. I'm pretty sure looking after a first grader won't be a problem."

She couldn't argue with that, though she did warn him that he had better not go running off again and leave "Conan" alone. He'd be in for a world of pain if he did that.

"Don't worry," Kid piped in. "We'll be fine."

Ran smiled at Kid and crouched to his level. "Then I'm trusting you to keep this detective geek in line."

"Oi, oi," Shinichi protested. "Just what are you trying to imply?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Ran told him flatly.

Kid flashed a smile. "You can count on me!"

With that settled, they headed back to the agency to collect "Conan's" things and then the two boys departed for the Kudo home. Shinichi had wanted to avoid staying at his house because of Subaru, but staying at Ran's any longer or even the professor's would have been more suspicious. They'd just have to make it work.

"Unless you have any suggestions?" Shinichi asked the thief.

Kid let out a snort. "Like I'd really invite you to my house."

The detective repressed a sigh. Of course.

Fortunately, Subaru—or, rather, Akai—didn't question them when they appeared on the doorstep. He blinked a little at Shinichi, and no doubt there were theories whirring on inside that clever head of his, but the FBI agent simply took the matter in his stride and said he would be pleased to have the company.

"It's your house after all," Subaru said with a smile. "I can hardly turn you away."

Shinichi rubbed the base of his neck. "Right."

He and Kid entered the house and removed their shoes. Shinichi's old slippers were waiting for him (and fit perfectly, of course). It was kind of surreal. It felt like coming home, but he wasn't even in his own body.

Subaru chatted to them in an amiable way, asking how "Conan" had been since they'd last seen each other. Kid once again displayed his freakish ability to not only act like Conan, but also understand the nature of the relationship between Subaru and Conan. It could have been Shinichi himself talking to the FBI agent, but still. Something was off. Not so much on Kid's part, but in Subaru's reaction.

The disguised agent turned to Shinichi. "So, what have you been doing all this time? I hear your name so often from your parents and friends." A faint smile curved his lips. "I admit, now that you're here, I'm very curious."

Shinichi felt an odd prickle creep down his spine. He'd got the sense before that Akai knew Edogawa Conan was just a fake identity. In fact, there were times when Akai had practically come out and said that Conan was not a real child. Now he was sure of it. It sounded like the FBI agent was teasing him. Damn it. This was why he had not wanted to come here.

"I've just been working on cases," Shinichi said with a shrug. "It's nothing special."

"I see." Subaru's gaze flicked between the two boys. His smile widened a fraction. "Well, I should probably leave you two to get settled in. I'm sure you're tired after travelling."

Shinichi murmured a noncommittal response and watched the taller man head back towards the library. He shifted his attention to Kid.

"Be careful around Subaru-san," he warned. "That guy doesn't miss much, and he already has his suspicions about Edogawa Conan."

Kid frowned. "You're letting a person like that live at your house?"

"I have my reasons. Besides, Subaru-san isn't a bad person."

"Yet you tell me to be careful," Kid said dryly.

"That's because I wouldn't put it past him to figure out your identity." Shinichi raised his eyebrow. "I'm assuming that isn't something you want."

"No," Kid agreed. "But most people wouldn't even consider that two people might have switched bodies. You have strange friends."

Shinichi shrugged. "Strange things have been happening. Anyway, just be careful."

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

Shinichi had to repress a smile. Well, at least Kid's ego was still intact.

He showed the thief to the spare room near his, though he didn't leave straight away. Instead, he shut the door and faced the smaller boy.

Kid raised his eyebrow. "What now?"

"About tomorrow," Shinichi said slowly. "If we don't go to school it will look suspicious. You know that, right?"

"You seriously want me to attend elementary school for you?" Kid demanded in an unimpressed voice. "We could be using that time to research."

Shinichi folded his arms across his chest. "This is my life too, Kid. A lot of people will be in danger if Conan's cover is blown." He shook his head and his voice softened a fraction. "I know it's frustrating for you, but I'm asking you to be patient."

Kid's mouth twisted. "Fine," he said. "I'll attend school for you."

"Thank you."

With that decided, there was little reason for Shinichi to stick around. He left Kid to it and retreated to his own room. There was no relief in being alone. He knew he should be happy Kid was at least being cooperative now, but the underlayer of tension left a sour taste in his mouth. He hoped they could get back to normal soon.

Shinichi would never admit it, but he kind of missed the thief's cheeky comments and upbeat attitude. This grumpy, reserved Kid was a pain in the arse to deal with.

A sigh escaped Shinichi's lips. Well, he supposed they could only more forward from here.

 **oOo**

The next morning passed with little drama. Kid and Shinichi had breakfast with Subaru, then parted ways to head to their respective schools. Haibara had promised she would keep an eye on Kid as well, so that was one less care on Shinichi's mind. All he had to do now was worry about getting through a day of high school. That was easier said than done.

"Kudo-kun!"

Shinichi twitched. He knew that voice. A second later Sonoko was next to him, demanding to know where he had been all this time and calling him horrible names for leaving his "wife" to solve cases.

"Don't know why she bothers with you," Sonoko said, shaking her head. "Also, what happened to your face?"

"Nice to see you too," Shinichi said dryly.

Sonoko nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Anyway, I heard you two finally started dating." She nudged him again. "There were even some kisses."

Shinichi blushed. "I am not having this conversation with you."

She laughed in her usual obnoxious way. "I'll find out everything eventually. You might not know it, but you're talking to the Deduction Queen." A grin curved her lips, and she poked him in the chest. "Maybe I'll even put you out of a job."

He inched back to avoid her finger. "Somehow I doubt that."

The only reason she had solved cases was because he had knocked her out with his watch and used her voice through the bowtie to give his deductions. Without him, there would be no Deduction Queen.

Sonoko kept chatting to him, quite oblivious to these thoughts. Eventually, Ran and Sera joined her. It was somehow more awkward to be around Ran with her friends there. Or maybe it was because Sonoko wouldn't stop teasing them. Even Sera got in on the action.

"I'm going to class," Shinichi declared.

He was desperate to escape. Ran mouthed an apology to him, which Shinichi responded to by giving her a reassuring smile. He was embarrassed, but he wasn't upset with her. Of course, this just set Sonoko and Sera off again. Shinichi left to the sound of whistles and girlish giggles.

"Girls," he muttered.

Some of the boys from the soccer club found him and dragged him off to class. He got bombarded with the usual questions: where he had been, why he hadn't been coming to school, when he was going to join the soccer club. Shinichi managed to avoid giving any real answers. Well, except for the soccer club question. That one was easy.

"I'm a detective," he said simply. "I don't have time for club activities."

The boys weren't too happy about this, but they had got used to his rejections. Shinichi rested his chin on his hands and wondered what his life would be like had he pursued soccer. For one, he wouldn't be in this body switching mess, nor would he have been poisoned or shrunk. Then again, he would have likely never met Hattori, Haibara or Kid, nor got involved with the police and FBI. Maybe he would have even agreed to move to America with his parents.

Shinichi frowned. He didn't much like the idea of that alternate reality. Sure, his present situation sucked, but he didn't regret his experiences or the friends he had made.

It was much easier to get through his classes after that. Gone was the wistful desire to indulge in his normal life; instead, he focussed on thinking of plans to help him and Kid. Not that he made much progress.

The bell to signal the end of classes sounded. Most students were lingering to study some more or else were heading for their clubs, including Ran who had Karate. Shinichi, however, had never bothered with either since becoming a high school student. He said goodbye to his friends and began walking home, though he was soon nabbed by Sera.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" she asked.

Shinichi tensed. There was something a little threatening about the way she had slung her arm over his shoulders. He turned his head to see her grinning at him. Somehow, that expression wasn't reassuring either.

"Just heading home," he said. "Nothing special."

"Conan-kun is staying with you, right?"

A crease formed on his brow. "Yeah."

Her grin widened. "Mind if I come over?"

Warning bells went off in Shinichi's mind. Sera was fishing, or at least trying to get her foot in so she could do some snooping. So, she was suspicious of him after all. He didn't know if it was because she knew Conan's (or, rather, his) real identity or if she just suspected something about him now as the physically teenaged (but technically fake) Shinichi. Either way, he didn't plan on giving her what she wanted. Subaru wouldn't like it for one, and he knew Kid would not be happy if he threw another detective into the mix.

"Sorry," Shinichi said, ducking out from under her arm. "I'm kind of tired. Maybe another time."

He mumbled a quick goodbye and made his escape before she could protest. Fortunately, she didn't follow him down the street.

"Geez, it's like everyone wants to get involved," he muttered.

With the way things were going, it wouldn't be long before someone else found out about the body swap. He and Kid definitely had to figure something out soon. This secret was a ticking time bomb, and the fallout it would create would not be pretty for either of them.

 **oOo**

"Has your assistant friend found any new leads for us?"

Kid glanced up at Shinichi's question. The boy had been sitting on his bed and doing something on his phone when Shinichi had entered the guest room, but now Kid gave him his undivided attention.

"Not yet," Kid said slowly, placing the phone down. "Why?"

Shinichi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Just getting nervous, I guess. You were right: this is dragging out for too long. It's going to get dangerous if we can't get back to our own bodies."

Kid didn't say "I told you so", but the thought glinted in his eyes. "So what do you suggest?" he asked instead.

"I don't know," Shinichi admitted. "Magic isn't exactly my forte."

Plus, all of their research had led to dead ends. He felt like he was grasping at straws. Shinichi did not like that feeling.

Kid made a humming sound and tapped his finger against his knee in a rapid pattern. A part of Shinichi noted that the boy had started to show more of those little quirks since the eavesdropping fiasco, as if Kid just couldn't be bothered putting up any kind of false personality around Shinichi now. It was the silver lining, he supposed—if dealing with the real boy behind Kaitou Kid's air of charm could even be called that. It wasn't like the _actual_ magician was the most pleasant person to be around.

"There is someone who might be able to help us," Kid said after a moment.

"Who?"

"The witch."

Shinichi blinked. He remembered Kid mentioning the female; he also remembered that the boy had confessed she had tried to kill him more than once and, as if that wasn't enough, enslave him as her lover. Going to her was supposed to be a last resort. Did Kid really think that their situation had got that desperate?

"Are you sure?" Shinichi questioned. "You seemed so reluctant before, and—"

"She understands magic," Kid cut in. "Real magic. It's a risk, but I'm beginning to think it's one we have to take." He shook his head. "Anyway, we both know we can't keep going on like this. You can do whatever the hell you like while you're Edogawa Conan, but I am not sitting through elementary school again."

Shinichi's mouth twitched into a smile. "That bad, huh?"

"I don't know what was worse: the Detective Brats trying to get me to solve cases with them or having to sit through all those mind-numbing classes. Either way, one day was enough."

Shinichi laughed. "Alright," he agreed. "Well, if you're all for it then let's make a plan to see this witch of yours."

It wasn't like he was going to reject the offer, even though a part of him still found it hard to believe that there was a real witch living out there somewhere. Body switching or not, the thought that someone could cast spells and do magic—not just tricks—seemed like something that could only exist in fiction. Still, he was curious to see what she would be like.

He really, really hoped she would help them.

* * *

I feel like I need to apologise for this chapter somehow. It was written entirely on my phone during travel to and from work, and that's part of the reason I took so long to update. Might be riddled with typos as well, since I retyped this onto my laptop at 3am in the morning. Ugh.

Messed up sleeping patterns aside, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit filler-ish, but hey. We're off to see the witch of Ekoda next chapter!

(I hope you all have the Wizard of Oz song stuck in your head now. Suffer with meeeeeeeee!)

Okay, I'm off to sleep. Leave a review if you're feeling kind. I still owe many of you replies from last time, but they are coming! (just when I am more awake and less prone to rambling)


	14. The Witch of Ekoda

**The Witch of Ekoda**

Kid had warned that it would be better if he made contact with the witch first before introducing Shinichi to her. The thief claimed it was because she was not trustworthy, but Shinichi got the feeling Kid was trying to cover his own tracks. That was kind of frustrating. Still, Shinichi didn't push the issue. He had said that he would respect Kid's privacy, and that included letting the boy decide when and how they would approach the witch.

As such, the next day Shinichi was ordered to go to school while Kid got things ready. The thief was playing "sick" so he wouldn't have to attend elementary school. Perhaps he worried that Shinichi would eavesdrop if allowed to linger in the house. That was also kind of frustrating. On the plus side, Subaru had left earlier that morning to do some FBI work, so Kid would have the house to himself. That made things easier.

"Let me know if anything happens," Shinichi said, even as he was ushered towards the front door.

"Don't worry," Kid said, "I'll have everything sorted by the time you get home." He held out the spare set of glasses that Professor Agasa had made. "That said, you should probably hold onto these just in case."

Shinichi blinked. "She's really that dangerous?"

He'd almost started to doubt it, thinking that Kid was only trying to protect his own identity.

Kid stared at him grimly. "This witch tried to kill me just because I refused to bow down to her and become her lover." He shoved the glasses into Shinichi's hand. "Yes, she is that dangerous. I wouldn't go near her while I'm weakened like this if I didn't think there was a high chance she could help."

Shinichi swallowed. "Oi, oi, don' forget you're in my body! What if she—"

"I doubt she has any interest in children," Kid said bluntly. "We're not going to tell her who you are. She'll think I just switched bodies with Edogawa Conan." He shrugged. "If I know this witch, she'll want to help me if only to get her potential plaything back."

Shinichi frowned. He wasn't sure he was convinced. Maybe that was because Kid didn't look particularly convinced either. It seemed like the thief was trying to reassure himself as much as Shinichi.

"Kid," Shinichi began, "maybe it's not a good idea to meet with the witch after all. We'll keep researching. We'll—"

"And how long will that take? It's been five days already and we have no leads."

"I know, but—"

Kid sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We can't keep going on like this, Kudo. At least this way we have a real chance of getting our bodies back to normal."

Shinichi opened his mouth to argue, but then he stopped. Maybe it was because Kid had dropped the honorific and used his proper name; maybe it was because Shinichi had done far more reckless things in the past for the sake of getting a lead on the Black Organisation. He knew that Kid was frustrated—that Kid had also got the short straw of the deal. Shinichi had been gifted a chance to live his normal life, but Kid was trapped as a child. Yet even ignoring all of that, the fact remained that neither of Shinichi's identities were safe. Not Kudo. Not Edogawa. The Black Organisation was still out there and needed to be stopped; plus, Kid had his own life to get back to.

The charade had to end.

So Shinichi did not make any further arguments. Instead, he nodded and told Kid to be careful. "That's my body," he reminded Kid. "I don't want to come home and find that witch has done something weird like turn you into a frog."

Kid actually laughed. "She isn't that kind of witch. Honestly, the thing I'm most worried about is what she'll ask from me in return for her help. I doubt you need to worry at all."

Shinichi didn't find that particularly comforting either, though for quite different reasons. Kid was risking a lot to meet with the witch; enough that the boy had given him the spare tracking glasses just in case something bad happened. Shinichi also knew it was his fault Kid was going to such lengths. The phone call incident had crossed a huge line. Now, Kid wanted out. It didn't matter how; all that mattered was there was a chance to end their time together quickly.

"Um," Shinichi began, rubbing the base of his neck. "I know you think this is the best option, and I'm not going to argue with that. Just don't do anything too reckless, okay?"

Kid raised his eyebrow. "I said I'd take care of your body."

"It's not that." Heat spread across Shinichi's cheeks. He folded his arms and looked the other way. "I just—I wouldn't want anything to happen to _you._ "

Kid blinked. He shuffled on his feet. "Oh."

"Anyway," Shinichi said hastily, "I'd better go or I'm going to be late for school. See you later."

He hurried off before Kid could respond. Shinichi had never been good at expressing his feelings—not towards, well, anyone. Feelings made him embarrassed and awkward and that tended to take expression through rude, standoffish comments. Except this time he'd chosen to be honest. Kid, whether Shinichi liked it or not, _meant_ something to him now. More than just a helpful ally to have in a pinch; more than just an interesting rival to take his mind off darker matters. Kid was his friend—albeit, of the much more dysfunctional variety when compared to his friendship with Hattori. Still, they were indeed friends. At least they were in Shinichi's eyes. He wasn't sure what Kid thought of him.

In any case, Shinichi didn't want to see the boy hurt—that included not getting trapped into some weird agreement with the witch just to get their bodies back to normal. His only consolation was that Kid was not an idiot. If anyone could out-trick a witch, it would be the sneaky trickster who had been leading the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, if not most of Japan, on a merry dance since he'd made his comeback. Even Shinichi had been outwitted a few times.

Shinichi sighed and slipped the spare glasses inside his school bag. Well, only time would tell what would happen. For both their sakes, he hoped he would not need to use the tracking function on the glasses.

 **oOo**

The glasses were not needed. When the bell signalled the end of classes, Shinichi received a message on his phone from Kid telling him that all was sorted and he should catch the next train to Ekoda Station. Kid would meet him there. Shinichi sent back a quick reply, then headed off for the front gate before he could get cornered by Sera or Sonoko. Both were as bad as each other when he was in this form.

"What's got you in such a hurry?"

Shinichi paused at the sound of Ran's voice. "Hey," he said, adjusting the strap of his school bag on his shoulder. "Listen, now isn't a good time, so—"

She gave an odd sort of smile. Something twisted in his stomach.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." She shook her head. "Never mind."

His brow furrowed. "Ran, if there's something bothering you—"

"I'm just being silly," she said, forcing a smile. "Don't worry about it."

Shinichi couldn't not worry about it. Not when she said something like that. Unfortunately, he was also conscious of the message on his phone. Kid would be expecting him to arrive in Ekoda on the next train. He didn't think making a witch wait was a good idea.

Making an impulsive decision, he stepped forward and kissed her briefly on the lips. "We'll talk later, okay?"

Ran blushed and nodded. Shinichi waved goodbye and ran down the slope. Kid wouldn't like it that he had kissed Ran again, but this was probably one of the last times Shinichi would see Ran while still in a teenager's body. If all worked out with the witch, it could very well be the last time. That made something hollow form in the pit of Shinichi's stomach, but he ignored the feeling and kept running.

Once he was a safe distance from the school, he slowed to a brisk walk and made his way to the station. Fortune was on his side today; he was able to get on the next train and soon found himself meeting Kid near the vending machines in Ekoda Station. The boy looked as if he had been messaging someone on his phone, but he slipped the device in his pocket when he noticed Shinichi.

"Let's go," Kid said, stepping away from the vending machine.

Shinichi raised his eyebrow. "Hello to you too."

Kid ignored this sarcasm. He explained that they would be taking a taxi to the witch's house. She lived on the outskirts and it was too far to walk.

"But first you need to get changed," Kid said, reaching into his bag and pushing a pile of clothes and a pair of shoes into Shinichi's chest. "I haven't mentioned anything about you being a teenager, so it will look odd if you turn up in a high schooler's uniform."

Shinichi saw the sense in this, so he didn't protest and simply went into the men's toilets to get changed. The clothes weren't black or even overly flashy, for which he was glad. Shinichi tugged on the khaki pants and striped T-shirt. There was a blue jacket as well, which he also slipped on. The fit was loose and comfortable. He tugged on the shoes, then stuffed all of his own belongings into his school bag. When he emerged from the toilets, Kid tsked and pulled him down to his level by the front of his shirt, then messed up Shinichi's hair with his free hand.

"There," Kid said, releasing him and taking a step back. "Alright, let's get out of here."

Kid moved quickly, heading for the taxi area without even glancing at the taller boy to make sure he was following. Shinichi frowned. Kid was much more restless than usual; Shinichi thought it might just be because they were off to see a witch, but he still found it odd.

The smaller boy made a frustrated sound. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered.

There were no taxis available in that moment. The last had just been snapped up by a group of women, and while there was a fresh line sure to be along soon, it seemed Kid didn't have the patience for that. He huffed, tapped his foot, and in general behaved like an antsy cat on a hot tin roof. Shinichi's eyebrows started to disappear into his hairline.

"What's with you?" he asked. "You seem a little—"

Kid went perfectly still. He was staring at something beyond Shinichi. Suddenly, the thief grabbed Shinichi by the hand and yanked him behind the closest pillar. The back of Shinichi's head thudded against the stone a little too hard for his liking.

"Kid, what the hell?" Shinichi demanded. "What are you—"

"Shut up!" Kid hissed.

Shinichi obliged, but only because Kid wasn't even looking at him. The boy was peering around the edge of the pillar, looking as pale as Shinichi no doubt did when he spotted a member of the Black Organisation. Shinichi couldn't resist sneaking a glance of his own—just a quick peek. He had to do a double take when he thought he saw Ran; however, the girl was wearing the wrong uniform and her hair was styled a little differently. Shinichi didn't get a chance to observe anything else because his leg jerked in pain. Kid had kicked him.

"Keep your head out of sight," Kid growled.

Again, Shinichi didn't protest. It seemed that there was someone out there who was a danger to Kid's civilian identity. Much as Shinichi was curious, he had to stick to his promise not to pry or sneak another glance. It was just really, really hard. Solving mysteries was like breathing for a detective; letting one slip from his fingers went against every fibre of his being. Still, Shinichi managed to keep his gaze fixed on Kid instead of whatever was happening behind the pillar. Eventually, the thief let out a breath.

"The taxi is here," Kid observed. "Let's hurry."

Shinichi hurried after Kid and soon both boys were sitting inside the taxi. Kid gave the directions to the driver, but the old man still couldn't seem to figure out where they wanted to go. Perhaps the witch's house didn't show up on GPS; perhaps the old man just wasn't that good with obscure destinations. Either way, Kid resigned himself to being a human navigator and directed the old man himself. Eventually, the houses got fewer and they came to a driveway surrounded by trees.

"This is it," Kid said.

Kid paid the old man and the two boys got out of the taxi, watching it drive off before they started down the driveway. A large house peeped out from behind the trees: dark and designed in the Western-style, if not rather gothic. Shinichi raised his eyebrow a fraction. He wouldn't have been surprised to have found gargoyles snarling down at him; instead, what waited for them on the front steps was a hunchbacked thing with a creepy smile. It was a cliché straight out of a horror story.

"Well, it definitely looks like the home of a witch," Shinichi muttered. Either that or a mad scientist.

The hunchbacked thing smiled wider, revealing rows of missing and misshapen teeth. "Mistress is waiting for you." He made a gesture with his hand to the open door. "Please, come inside."

Shinichi glanced at Kid, but the boy was already walking up the steps. Shinichi shrugged and followed. The inside of the mansion was worse than the outside. For one, there actually were gargoyles: the hideous things had been carved into all the corners of the entrance hall's ceiling; there were even two smaller ones positioned on the front part of the staircase, as if to ward off anyone who dared to go up the stairs. A thick, velvet carpet covered the floor, and everything was a bit dark and depressing. There weren't any cobwebs, though. At the very least, this witch was clean. However, she did favour some rather disturbing ornaments. He was pretty sure he had seen a shrunken head on a shelf at one point. The whole place also hummed of something that made the hairs on the back of his arms and neck prickle. Magic?

"Wait here," the creepy hunchback said, pausing outside a heavy oak door.

He entered the room, though he left the door ajar. Shinichi could hear voices coming from within: one of them was female and far, far too lovely. It made his heart flutter and his blood quicken. It made him want to thrust the door open and throw himself on his knees before her; made him want to give up everything—even the beating heart in his chest—if he could just keep listening to her voice.

His leg throbbed in pain. Shinichi blinked to find Kid scowling at him.

"Geez," Kid muttered, "I was worried about this."

"Worried about what?" Shinichi asked, rubbing his leg. "And why'd you kick me?"

"You're weak to her charms," Kid answered. "Better not meet her gaze. Also, don't eat or drink anything she gives you. In fact, best avoid her completely if you can."

Shinichi blinked a few times. He didn't get a chance to ask for a further explanation as the door was pushed open and the hunchbacked servant ushered them inside. A girl sat on an ornate gold chair at the end of the room as if it was a throne. Her hair was black yet with a reddish tinge, falling silkily around her shoulders. She wore a blood-red cloak, as was fitting of a witch. Her skin was pale and her eyes were a rich colour that was more red than brown, yet there was nothing unnerving about her gaze. It just seemed to fit. Everything about her seemed to fit. That said, she was a lot younger than he had expected; she was also very, very beautiful. Shinichi swallowed. His pulse raced and he once again had the odd urge to throw himself at her feet—maybe beg to be her servant.

"Akako!" Kid snapped.

It took Shinichi a moment to realise that he was halfway to his knees. He straightened in surprise, even as the witch laughed in a stereotypically evil way and covered her mouth with her hand. The hunchbacked servant was nowhere to be seen.

"I was just testing," she said. "It looks like your immunity to my charms hasn't extended to this boy, even if he is now in your body." Her eyes glinted. "Interesting. You truly are one of a kind, Ku—"

Kid's glare intensified.

"—Kid," the witch hastily tacked on.

Shinichi's mouth twitched into a frown. The coiling snake of seduction that had been working its way around him had broken. Clarity had returned like the elastic snap of a rubber band, and with it had come two realisations: first, the witch wasn't as irresistible as he had thought (though she was still very pretty); second, she had just slipped up and that was undoubtedly Kid's real name she had been about to say.

Kid continued to glare at the witch. "Stop messing around," he said, not even trying to hide his irritation. "And lay off with the seduction charm already! I knowyou don't need to put it on that thick, so quit it!"

"Why?" she taunted. "Are you perhaps feeling the effects?"

He snorted. "Hardly. I just don't want you messing with my body."

Now it was her turn to look irritated. "One day I will figure out how you resist me, Kaitou Kid. Then I'll create a counter charm and you'll be mine."

"Well, for now you can figure out a way to put our bodies back to normal," was the tart response. "That's why we're here."

The witch pursed her lips. Kid raised his eyebrow in challenge. Shinichi felt like he was watching a tennis match. All he could do was glance from one to the other, for once having nothing to say. Only an idiot would dip his finger into that mess of a relationship.

"Fine," the witch said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "A deal is a deal."

"Thank you," Kid said with exaggerated politeness.

The witch ignored his comment and stood up from her throne—that was the only thing Shinichi could call it—and closed the distance between them. An intoxicating scent drifted to his senses; he couldn't place the mixture. In one breath it was floral, another pleasantly musky, another spicy, and then it settled into something clean and with a hint of fruit. He blinked. The witch smelt like Ran's shampoo.

"What the?" he murmured.

She smiled and stepped in front of him. He was careful to heed Kid's warning this time and did not meet her gaze. "You're quite the interesting one yourself," she observed. "A pure energy cloaked in lies."

He blinked. Okay, that made zero sense.

"My name is Akako," she continued, as if she hadn't just babbled nonsense at him. "I normally don't reveal myself to civilians, but this is a special case." Her smile widened a fraction. "Plus, I was curious to meet the boy who switched bodies with Kaitou Kid. Edogawa Conan, isn't it?"

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah."

Akako stared at him for a moment longer. The effect was much more unnerving now that she was no longer fogging his mind with her seduction charm; he could feel her gaze prickling along his skin, slipping past tissue and membrane to peek into what was underneath. Or, at least, that was what it felt like.

"I thought so," she said softly. "I have sensed your energy before."

Shinichi frowned, but Akako didn't explain further. She stepped back a few more steps and considered both boys through her reddish-brown eyes. Her expression had become less taunting and seductive and was now more thoughtful.

"Well?" Kid prompted when the silence dragged out for too long. "Can you switch us back?"

"I told you it wouldn't be that easy," Akako said, if a little reprovingly. "My power is rooted in controlling the mind and body; I capture hearts, not souls. Besides, this is my first time coming across a proper soul exchange."

"Soul exchange?" Shinichi repeated.

Akako nodded. "There are temporary kinds of switching enchantments that usually wear off on their own and will leave a magical trace or thread linking the two people." She gestured to the space between the two boys. "I could have manipulated that to get your souls back to where they belong, but there's no thread connecting you. As far as your souls are concerned, these are your proper bodies now."

"I'm guessing that's a bad thing," Shinichi said dryly.

"It is if you want to return to your original bodies." Akako's brow creased as she stared at the two boys. "This is rare and powerful magic; it's practically a lost art. I'm surprised you managed to stumble across it."

Kid folded his arms across his chest. "What I want to know is whether you can fix it. You were confident earlier that you could when you made that deal with me."

"I wasn't expecting you to have been dabbling in ancient magic," she retorted, not quite managing to hide her pout. She didn't seem to like having her abilities called into question. "Temporary switching spells are straightforward enough to fix; this is different."

His eyes narrowed. "Akako, if this is all a trick to make me—"

"A witch never breaks a deal," Akako said with dignity. "I _will_ help you, Ku—Kid. I'm just going to need some time."

"How much time?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Given the permanent nature of this switch, it's likely the only way to get you both back to your bodies is to perform the soul exchange spell again. That isn't going to be easy to recreate. First, I'll need the gem."

"Gem?" Shinichi asked with a frown.

"The one that was housing the original spell," she explained with an edge of impatience. "The gem Kaitou Kid stole when you first switched bodies."

Shinichi almost slapped his forehead. He felt like such an idiot. Kid also looked a bit slack-jawed.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that," Kid muttered. "I _should_ have thought of that."

Akako raised her eyebrow. "Well? Where is the gem?"

"I already returned it to Inspector Nakamori," Kid explained, running a hand through his hair. "It's been five days since then, so I doubt the police will still have it in their custody considering its worth. The Violet Dream should be back in the museum unless the owner panicked and decided to end the exhibition early."

"You haven't checked?" Shinichi asked in surprise.

"It wasn't the jewel I wanted," Kid said bluntly. "It's not like I'm running a jewellery babysitting service here. I don't care what happens to the gems once I've passed them back to the proper authorities. It's their problem to deal with after that, not mine."

Shinichi held his hand up in an appeasing gesture. "Alright, alright, I get it. No need to get snarky."

Kid ignored this comment and shifted his attention back to Akako. "So, you think you can switch us back if we bring you the gem?"

"I can _try_ ," she stressed. "At the least, there should be magical traces left on the gem. That will be a start to figuring out how to recreate the spell."

"Sort of like putting clues together," Shinichi said, thinking it was a lot like how he solved crimes. "I understand."

Kid sighed. "I can't believe I have to steal the Violet Dream again."

Shinichi blinked. Right. They really would have to steal the gem; it wasn't like the owner or the people running the museum would just hand it over for Akako to inspect. His stomach wriggled a little unpleasantly. He wasn't sure how he felt about being party to a heist. Shinichi was a detective; he wasn't a thief.

"Stop looking so moral," Kid said, rolling his eyes. "You won't have to do anything, Detective-kun, so spare your conscience the worry. I'll return the gem once we're through with it anyway. Just leave this to the professional."

Shinichi frowned. "How do you plan to do anything when you're that size and in my body?"

Kid flashed his trademark grin. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

The detective wasn't sure whether to sigh or smile. Somehow, it didn't surprise him that Kid would have a plan to counter his new body in order to carry out heists. Kaitou Kid really was an unstoppable force. Still, if it meant they could get back to their original bodies, Shinichi couldn't complain. He did wonder what deal Kid had made to get the witch's help, though, as did he find himself itching to know the rest of the name she had almost let slip.

Damn it. Respecting Kid's privacy really was hard.

* * *

I threw in the old man taxi driver who can't find anything because that has been my experience with taxi drivers quite a lot in Japan. I have actually said I would just walk once because my phone's GPS said I was pretty much there and the guy was going around in circles. Both amusing and frustrating. I'd blame it on the fact my Japanese is not amazing, but it's kind of hard to muck up numbered coordinates. I even gave him my phone to use as a GPS, haha. Poor ojiisan.

Anyway, rambling aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's barely edited and I know I started slipping into writing "Kaito" a few times while writing, so please point out any glaring typos if you spot them!


	15. The One Who Holds the Cards

Apologies for the wait! I didn't mean to leave you without an update for so long. I'm a terrible author—especially since you've all been so lovely with your comments. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

* * *

 **The One Who Holds the Cards**

It was strange to return to the mundane world after being exposed to the reality of magic. Shinichi had accepted such a power was possible when he and Kid had switched bodies, just as he had accepted that there might be real witches out there. But accepting and seeing were two different things. He still remembered how Akako had charmed him; still could remember the prickle of the supernatural that had shivered up and down his skin while in her home. Sitting in the backseat of a taxi with Kid just felt so anticlimactic.

He glanced at the smaller boy. Kid was busy writing a message to someone on his phone—perhaps the old man who acted as his assistant. Kid had said that he would need to make preparations before he could steal the Violet Dream again. Shinichi tried not to dwell on the fact that he, a detective who helped to solve crimes, would soon be an accomplice of sorts to a robbery. Fortunately, Kid had assured him that there was no need for him to get involved. It still made Shinichi wonder how the thief planned to pull off the heist. A tiny body not used to performing sleight of hand would just be a hindrance.

The taxi pulled up outside Ekoda Station. Shinichi and Kid pooled their yen together to pay the fare and exited the car. He noticed that Kid had tensed the moment they were on the street; the boy was back to scanning the area as if expecting an enemy to pop out any second. It occurred to Shinichi that Kid—or at least the boy whose name started with "Ku"—probably lived somewhere in Ekoda. No doubt that was how Kid had met the witch in his civilian form, and why he did not want to linger. He was probably paranoid that someone he knew would approach them.

Shinichi resisted the urge to confirm his suspicion. Asking Kid outright would just put the boy's back up again. So he filed the information away and instead followed Kid inside the station. Luck seemed to be on Kid's side, as the train they wanted arrived not long after. Soon, they were walking down the streets of Beika to Shinichi's house.

"So," Shinichi said after a moment. Now that they were no longer crammed on a train or at risk of being overheard, he felt like he could break the silence. "Akako, huh?"

"Don't even start."

His mouth quirked at Kid's grumpiness. "All I'm saying is she seems really, uh, set on you."

"What she feels is pique," Kid responded dryly. "She doesn't like the fact I'm immune to her charms."

"About that. How does it work?"

Kid shrugged. "Beats me. Her love charms have never worked on me. Too bad I can't say the same for her other magic."

"So you're not immune to everything?"

"I did say she used voodoo magic on me," Kid reminded him, and then he sighed. "I don't know. Maybe my da—"

He broke off, clamping his mouth shut. Shinichi could guess what Kid had been about to say: my dad. It seemed that Kid's family, or at least his father, had been tangled up with witches before. Kid himself had admitted he hadn't believed in real magic until he'd met Akako. Damn. Now Shinichi was really curious. He wanted to know more: about kid's parents, about witches, about how—if at all—the gems Kaitou Kid targeted fit into the equation. So many secrets. So many things that teased his detective urge to solve.

"Anyway," Kid continued, as if he hadn't just slipped up, "you shouldn't get too involved with Akako. She showed her nice face today, but she can flip to Kill You mode just like that." He clicked his fingers. "Once she restores our bodies back to normal, you should stay away from her."

Shinichi shoved his hands in his pockets. "I don't plan to get involved. I realised today she's as dangerous as you said."

Much as he was curious about the witch, he'd had no immunity to her charms and had made a complete fool of himself. Akako had been content with just teasing him, but the fact she had been able to manipulate his emotions at all made him wary. It was a weakness he had not anticipated. He was glad Ran had not been there to witness the meeting. Ran had put dents in power poles just when his fangirls used to give him too much attention before they'd started dating; he hated to think what she would do as his girlfriend if she thought he was fooling around with another girl.

No, it was much better to keep his distance from Akako. Kid, for his part, seemed relieved that Shinichi didn't want to get involved any further. Shinichi wasn't sure if that was because the thief was actually worried about his wellbeing or if, by getting closer to Akako, Kid thought it might mean learning more about his own identity. Maybe it was a bit of both. In any case, the subject was allowed to drop and the two teens instead fell into chatting about inconsequential things like what they might have for dinner that night. By the time they reached the Kudo residence, they still hadn't agreed on anything, let alone who would cook. It seemed neither were big fans of being in the kitchen.

"Wonder if Subaru-san is back," Shinichi mused, pushing the gate open and heading for the door.

The FBI agent could at least make a decent curry and didn't seem to mind cooking. Kid made a noncommittal sound while Shinichi tested the handle to see if he needed to fish his keys out of his pocket. The door opened, so it seemed that Subaru had returned. Both boys froze when they spotted a pair of black heels in the genkan. Those were not Subaru's shoes.

"Does Subaru-san have a lady friend?" Kid asked.

"Not that I know of," Shinichi replied.

Not one the agent would bring back to the house anyway. It was true that Jodie had visited a few times, but the small size of the heels told him that these did not belong to the tall, American woman. In fact, if Shinichi wasn't mistaken, those shoes belonged to—

"Shin—Conan-kun!"

His stomach plummeted. Sometimes he really hated being right. Unfortunately, only one person slipped up on his name in that particular way every damn time. Likewise, he would never be able to forget that woman's voice. It was one that had tormented him for sixteen years. Somehow, he thought it was typical that his mother would turn up for a visit just when it was most inconvenient. Kudo Yukiko had a knack for making his life difficult.

Yukiko paused mid-step when she spotted the two boys. "Oh," she said, gazing from Kid to Shinichi.

No doubt she had been alerted to their arrival by the sound of their voices—and had probably planned to smother him in a hug if her outstretched arms were anything to go by. He supposed it must be confusing for her to be greeted with the sight of a boy who looked like her teenage son as well as the shrunken "Conan" she had come to expect. The problem was that he had no idea how to explain the situation. Saying Kid was Haibara in disguise wouldn't work this time, and nothing else was coming to mind either. At least nothing that would fool his mother.

Yukiko's face split into a grin. "Well, this is unexpected." She closed the distance between them. "I didn't realise you knew each other."

Shinichi glanced at Kid in the expectation that they would share an expression of mutual confusion. Instead, he found Kid staring at his mother with glassy eyes. It was like Shinichi could actually see the boy's panic being forced into submission.

Yukiko pulled Kid into a hug and then turned her smiling gaze on Shinichi. "It's been a long time. Do you remember me, I wonder?"

It was like the ground had been removed from underneath him. His mother recognised his face, but not as her teenage son's. She knew Kid. The _real_ Kid. Shinichi couldn't even begin to comprehend how such a thing had occurred. He glanced at Kid in the hopes of getting some answers—maybe even a sign for what he should do next—but the thief just looked as if he'd been stuffed like a dead animal. Apparently, Kid was having just as much trouble processing the situation.

"I—" Shinichi swallowed and shook his head, though the gesture was more from confusion than anything.

Yukiko's smile faded. "Well, it was eight years ago when we last met. Given the circumstances, I'm sure you had a lot on your mind."

Kid gave an odd twitch. Not that Yukiko noticed; she just ploughed on, completely oblivious to the fact she was talking to the wrong boy.

"Your father was such a talented man," she reminisced. "He taught me everything I know about the art of disguise. I'll always be grateful I had the chance to be his student."

Shinichi blinked as everything fell into place. Kid was a magician who was a genius at creating disguises and impersonating others. It was very likely that Kid's father had been the original Kaitou Kid. Shinichi's mother had learnt the art of disguise, alongside Sharon Vineyard, from one of Japan's most popular magicians; a man who had died eight years ago and who she had just disclosed was Kid's father. That man's name was Kuroba Toichi.

Ku. Kuroba. The slip-up Akako had made was now complete.

Yukiko beamed at him. "But, goodness, how you've grown! You really do look like my Shin-chan. I noticed it in the pictures, but seeing you in person makes the resemblance even more striking. The two of you could be twins!" She turned to Kid. "Don't you think, Shin—Conan-kun?"

Kid snapped out of his weird daze, but only to press his palm to his forehead. "I can't believe it," he muttered. "I can't believe _this_ is how I get exposed."

Yukiko's brow furrowed. She tilted her head to the side, no doubt confused by the odd comment. Shinichi decided to take pity on her.

"Uh, Mum, that's not your son," Shinichi explained. "I am."

She laughed and tapped him playfully on the shoulder. "As if I would not recognise my own child, Kaito-kun. Those tricks won't work on me."

Kaito. So that was Kid's real name.

The boy in question just groaned. "Yukiko-san," Kid—no, Kuroba Kaito _—_ said, now with both hands pressed to his face. "He's telling the truth. I'm not your son. I know it doesn't make sense, but—" Kid lowered his hands, looking suddenly drained. He glanced at Shinichi. "You know what, this one's on you, Kudo. Excuse me while I go have an existential crisis."

He wandered away from the two, though it seemed his "existential crisis" was actually to just message someone on his phone. Perhaps he was informing his assistant that he'd been outed. Shinichi almost felt sorry for the boy. After all the care Kid had taken to keep Shinichi away from the truth, Shinichi's own mother had busted in with a smile and ruined everything. It was so unexpected that it was no wonder the thief had been caught off guard.

Yukiko frowned at Shinichi. "What's going on?"

Shinichi sighed and explained how he and Kuroba Kaito had switched bodies thanks to a magic gem. Since then, he'd been acting as his teenage self while Kuroba acted as Conan. Yukiko took the news surprisingly well. He guessed that having her son de-aged to a first grader had prepared her for this bizarre development. It helped that his mother had always had a childlike innocence. The only thing Shinichi wasn't certain about was whether she knew Kuroba was Kaitou Kid. He was careful not to hint anything that might reveal the connection, feeling he owed Kid that much. It wasn't his secret to tell. Maybe there was even a part of him that wanted to reassure the thief. Shinichi had learnt so much about Kid since they'd switched bodies. Learning the boy's name was a relief—it had bugged him like crazy when Akako had slipped up and put him that much closer to the truth—but it wasn't like he was now filled with a desire to turn Kid over to the police. Nothing had changed in that sense.

"Anyway," Shinichi said, narrowing his eyes at the older woman, "what are _you_ doing here? I thought you were in America with Dad."

Yukiko placed a hand to her heart. "Is that any way to talk to your mother?"

When he just stared at her pointedly, she huffed and went into a convoluted speech about his dad and floozies. Shinichi pinched the bridge of his nose. It seemed like his father had been flirting with younger women again. Or at least that was how his mother had interpreted it. He never could figure out if his dad was the philanderer she accused him of being or whether his mother just got overly jealous. In any case, Yukiko had decided to punish her husband by returning to Japan and spending time with "Shu-chan".

"And so I could see you, of course," she added with a bright smile.

Shinichi frowned. He really didn't know what to do with his mother sometimes. Not that Yukiko was bothered by his lack of enthusiasm. She was much more interested in learning about the two boys and what they had been up to since they'd switched bodies.

"Does Chikage-san know what happened?" she asked Kid.

The boy gave another twitch. Shinichi learnt that "Chikage" was the name of Kid's mother. No wonder Kid didn't look too happy; the last time the two had spoken was over the phone in Uji and Kid had hung up on her. Yukiko, of course, was oblivious to the fact she had blundered into yet another sensitive topic. She babbled on about how she had bumped into Chikage at a magic show in Las Vegas, and that they had been keeping in contact on and off ever since. Her smile widened as she explained that she had never expected to find "little Kaito" here with her son, let alone that the two would have switched bodies.

"The world really is small," Yukiko mused. "But I guess it worked out for you, Shin-chan, since Kaito-kun looks so much like you."

Shinichi gave a noncommittal answer. He was conscious of Kid's unnatural quietness. The boy appeared calm, but it was obvious Kid was struggling to keep it together. No doubt that clever mind of his was trying to think of how to do damage control. Shinichi wanted to tell him that there was no need to stress, but both their tongues were tied with Yukiko right there listening to every word. Fortunately, Subaru chose that moment to arrive and created a distraction.

"Come with me," Shinichi muttered, grabbing hold of Kid's arm and tugging him towards the stairs.

Yukiko was too busy greeting Subaru to notice the boys, so they were able to make a clean escape. Thank goodness for his mother's fangirl crush on the FBI agent; Shinichi had worried that they'd never get free of her clutches. Kid shook his arm free once they were out of sight, though he followed without resistance into Shinichi's room. Once the door was closed, both boys faced each other with unreadable expressions.

"So," Shinichi said after a long pause. "That just happened."

Kid raised his eyebrow. "That's an understatement."

"Right."

There was another awkward pause. Kid sighed and sat down on the bed. His gaze fixed on Shinichi.

"Well?" Kid prompted. "What now?"

Shinichi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know who I am." Kid waved his hand in a blasé manner, but his eyes were cool and piercing. "I assumed this was the part where you try to take advantage of your new knowledge and we end up blackmailing each other to see who will come out on top." He bared his teeth in a smile. "Of course, I have more than enough info on you, so I don't recommend—"

"Kid." Shinichi shook his head, not sure why he felt like something was breaking in his chest. "I wouldn't do that. You know that, right?"

Kid stared at him for a tense moment. Then he laughed, though it was without humour. "I wonder if you believe that."

Shinichi didn't know how to respond. It shocked him that Kid still doubted his word. He knew the tentative trust they'd shared before the eavesdropping fiasco had been weakened, but not by this much.

"You really think I'd turn you in to the police?" he asked.

"Maybe not that," Kid allowed with a one-shouldered shrug. "Not while I'm still in your body anyway. That would be an idiotic move on your part. You're too smart for that."

Shinichi furrowed his brow. "Look, I don't know what I can say to get it through your stubborn head, but I don't plan on blackmailing you or doing anything that'll put you in danger, alright? I had no idea Mum would be here today and say all that stuff. I was okay with letting you keep your secrets if that was what you wanted."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!" Shinichi retorted, stung by the sceptical tone. "I've been trying really hard not to dig into your life even though, yeah, I admit I got curious and wanted to know more."

Kid let out a derisive snort. "If letting that big mouth from Osaka listen in with you on my phone call is meant to be your idea of trying, I hate to think what your half-arsed efforts are like."

"I'm sorry, okay? That was stupid. I admit it was stupid. I shouldn't have done that, and I don't know how many more times you want me to apologise." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The fact is we both know I could have figured out who you are a long time ago. Doesn't it count for something that I didn't?"

There was a long silence. Kid avoided his gaze.

"You trusted me once," Shinichi reminded him. "You believed me when I said I wouldn't use your phobia against you. Is it so hard to believe that I won't take advantage of your name either?"

Kid's mouth turned up at the corners, though he still didn't meet his gaze. "See, I almost want to believe you." He let out a breath and leaned back on his palms to stare up at the ceiling. "That's a bit worrying."

"What? I don't understand."

"I don't like it when a detective holds all the cards," Kid admitted. "Even if you say you won't do anything with what you've learnt—even if I want to believe you—I still can't trust you. Or, rather, I _shouldn't_ trust you." He shrugged, though the motion seemed more agitated than the offhand gesture Kid had intended. "You know too much."

Shinichi tried for an attempt at humour. "Want to try that blackmailing thing then? You did say you have enough dirt on me to keep me quiet."

Kid's smile was bleak. "You're not supposed to call my bluff, Detective-kun."

The tight feeling in Shinichi's chest got worse. Kid wasn't playing by the rules; he wasn't supposed to get serious and admit that he would never use the information he had learnt as an actual threat. Everything about the Black Organisation: Bourbon, Haibara, Edogawa Conan—all those secrets that Kid carried and could easily use to keep Shinichi in line if he dared. Except he wouldn't. Shinichi instinctively understood that. What sucked was that Kid thought Shinichi might not show him the same courtesy. Because Shinichi was a detective? Because Kid was a criminal? It was stupid to focus on labels after everything that had happened between them.

"What do you want me to say?" Shinichi demanded. "Tell me what I can say to reassure you that this isn't going to be an issue, because I don't want—"

He broke off, unsure of what exactly it was that he did want from the thief. Maybe he was just pissed off that Kid was being stubborn when there was no need. Maybe it was the fact that he'd started to see Kid as a friend, and now it was like a door had been slammed in his face.

No, that the door had never been open in the first place.

Shinichi stepped closer. "What do you want me to say?" he repeated.

He couldn't accept that there was nothing. He couldn't accept that they would always be just a detective and a thief; that all of the time they'd spent together would amount to no more than this declaration of distrust. He'd force the door open if he had to, because even if Kid had always planned to keep him at a distance—to never let Kuroba Kaito meet Kudo Shinichi—it was too late to go back. The name was out there now.

And, frankly, he kind of liked the guy behind the monocle. At least when Kid wasn't being an annoying bastard.

Shinichi's voice was soft when he spoke. "You say you don't like that I'm holding all the cards, but that's not true. You're holding just as many." He met the boy's gaze. "I'm trusting you, Kid. I've been trusting you all this time. Trust _me_ now. I won't do anything to betray you. I'll only pursue you as a detective during heists when you are Kaitou Kid, just like I've always done."

The silence that followed went on for so long that Shinichi thought he would break out in a sweat. Kid let out a breath and got slowly to his feet. He closed the distance between them and then bowed his head.

"Kuroba Kaito," he greeted as if they were being introduced for the first time. "High school student, magician, and part-time phantom thief."

Shinichi's mouth quirked into a relieved smile. "Kudo Shinichi." He bowed back. "It's good to meet you, Kuroba-kun."

"Just Kuroba is fine," Kid— _Kuroba_ —said, waving a dismissive hand.

Shinichi nodded. "Kuroba."

The two boys smiled at each other. It probably would have been a nice moment if Kuroba hadn't started laughing a second later.

"Damn, that was cheesy," Kuroba observed.

"You're the one who started it," Shinichi retorted, refusing to take the blame for the excess cheese.

Kuroba just shrugged. "Whatever. Fact is I'm still not happy you know this much about me, but what's done is done. Your mum blew my secret sky-high and our bodies are still swapped, so it's not like I can just vanish myself out of here." A hint of a smile flickered in his eyes. "Guess I'll be trusting you for now. Don't let me down, Kudo."

The boy didn't wait for a response and left the room with a careless wave. Shinichi snorted in a mixture of amusement and exasperation as he watched Kuroba's retreating figure.

"Idiot," he muttered. "As if I would."

The door was finally open. He wasn't going to let it close again.

* * *

Did someone say cheese? There be lots here.

Well, the big reveal has happened at last. I suspect many of you were not expecting it to come about this way. I toyed with a few ideas for how Shinichi would learn Kid's real identity, but I ultimately thought this was the best option—not just for practical plot reasons, but also for the sake of the characters. I can't imagine that Kid would have ever willingly told Shinichi his name, and I didn't like the idea of Shinichi sneaking it out of Kaito. So instead we have Yukiko come to ruin the day. My choice to use her will become clearer. ;)

Oh, and for those who don't know, a "genkan" is like a small entranceway you can find in pretty much every Japanese house. It's where you take off and leave your shoes. Also great for when you run out of space in your closet for all the cute heels and boots you bought …


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